The Girl Who Cried 'Snake'
by XKey of the AbyssX
Summary: A year has passed since Sora had gone to sleep and he is soon to awaken.Ayano has been given the task of diverting the threat of the Org. from l starts wrong when there seems to be a problem with her powers.Led by their,she seeks out an answer while helping Sora in his t nothing is that easy. At least not when you start doubting if who you are is the real 'you'.
1. Chapter 1

_**Well, I'm sorry it took so long for this story to begin. But now, I've gotten my midterms over with for now so I'll have sometime to work on this new installment. **_

_**Let's begin with a summary, shall we?:**_

_**A year has passed since Sora had gone to sleep and he is soon to awaken. Yet the time that took to return him to normal was much more than expected. Now that Roxas will soon become one with Sora, Ayano has been given the task of diverting the looming threat of the Org. from them. And, although, there's not much trouble with that job, there seems to be a problem with her powers. Before, they wouldn't even answer to her. Now, they go on rampages that not even she can control. In order to find a way to control her powers, she must sway away from the orders of the DiZ and her duty. Led by the source of her powers, she seeks out an answer while helping Sora in his quest. Yet nothing is that easy. Her dark self seeks to clash against her to absorb her overloading powers as well as having the Org. after her with a bounty for her head. Two threats after her while jumping from world to world helping Sora, isn't a piece of cake. More so when strange occurrences keep triggering memories that she knows are not hers. There's more to conflicts when even you start doubting if you are really 'you'.  
**_

_**Kind sketchy, yes, I was listening to the Timeline of KH by GameTrailers. Great stuff there (-w-)b Now let's start this, okay?**_

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**The First Mask: Ghost of Past Abandonment **

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"Fuck..."

I cussed under my breath as another wave of strong energy crept up my left palm to my shoulder. It freaking hurt every time it did. I had just gotten inside my room when I felt the familiar burning in my eyes intensify. Lately, every time that happened a charged energy walked across my arms up to my shoulders where my snake tattoo resided. It was hard not to notice it if I didn't have my coat on. But the energy traveled fast and constantly until it was more or less placed where it should in my body. And it also traveled in vibrant, red streaks of electricity. Those, unlike my tattoo, could be seen even beyond my clothes. I couldn't let Riku or DiZ see them. And there was no way I would let them see me so out of control with my eye ability.

It seemed that my eyes were just so overly sensitive ever since... I came back.

I bit back that sour thought and waited. Surely, after an hour or so, the pain finally subsided. I hissed as I pulled my sleeve up to see the burns left by the walking electricity. The snake tattoo became visible once I took my sleeve away but as soon as I did that, the snake began to move lower on my hand. I hissed loudly for every move it made it give me a sharp burning sensation as well.

Finally, it nestled itself on my palm in a big, black blot of ink and spurted out a single drop up and let it fall back making the ink on my hand ripple. Before my eyes, it did what it had only done once before when I first began to experience this pain.

In my palm, the figure of a small girl stood upon the pool. Her hair was black, long and curly but seemed short since she had it tied up in a ponytail that let it cascade on her shoulders. Her skin was pale and didn't seem alive. She was a white pinafore with a frilly skirt underneath a reversible coat. She wore it with the black out and the pinkish red inside. The coat had no hood and had a turtleneck collar that was loose on her making her able to hide her chin and mouth from my view. Her cheeks however were visible and they seemed scaly. Her eyes were as dark as the ink that made the pool beneath her feet.

Her gaze fell upon me stoic as the first time she appeared to me. She never gave any emotion and was as stoic as anybody I've ever seen. Seriously, I couldn't crack a joke that would put even a quirk on those lips. Then again, she was a snake. Real or ink, snakes were cold-blood reptiles. Guess, her lack of humor was proof that at least that was linked.

Another perk that she had was that when she was in my shoulder as my tattoo, she could talk to me telepathically like she did when I faced Hotaru. But when she was like this, her voice did both talk in my head and in the outside. There were only two reasons why she would appear before me.

One: my head hurt too much to let any connection in.

Two: she had something serious to tell me that required her to 'physically' show herself.

Because the latter happened the first time the energy started unleashing, I assumed this was it now.

"You should not force yourself too much after the lashing of energy, Master."

That's another thing. She's been calling me 'master' ever since she showed herself to me.

"Would you stop with that?" I hiss as I pull my sleeve down and reach for the wall to lean on as I stand up. I gasped at the ache my body had after that lashing. It felt like I just had gotten beaten with a whip. "Why are you here anyway?"

"To warn the Master to be cautious of her condition." Her stoicism didn't change and since I couldn't see her mouth move made it all the more weird. I couldn't even tell if she was talking out in the open or to my head. I was going to end up crazy one of these days. "My existence has been very unstable since your dark entity left your body. With no balance to counter me, I cannot delay the rebound that happens every time you use me."

"Rebound?" I say cringing from my aching body as I walk up onto my bed. "You're saying that this always happened?"

She nodded and continued her explanation. "This rebound happens because of the immense powers you use. The amount of energy required to correctly derive me in usage requires a balanced distribution of energy. Because of your missing dark self, my energy cannot travel as fluid as it did and so I have to accommodate myself. And since you use me so constantly, the rearranging of energy will occur just as often."

"So I have to suffer from you moving about every two hours?"

"Unless you stop using me so much, yes," she said closing her eyes.

That was easy for her to say. I didn't even know how to unable them. For freaking goodness' sake, I've tried to much before to undo this. I've tried to not lie but...it always backfires. I can't live through anything without deceiving people.

"Is there no way to stop this?"

"Yes, there is." Her quietness after that annoyed me greatly. I knew why she wasn't answering. Question to her had to be brusque and to the point. You asked exactly what you wanted with her or she wouldn't clarify.

"And what would that be, exactly?" I asked with a tick in my jaw that I couldn't deny.

"To retrieve your other half to be complete or..."

That...has been the oddest thing I've seen so far. Never had she hesitated. "Or?" I pressed her on.

"Or created a new dark entity within yourself."

"Why didn't you just say that?" I asked and laid myself on my bed.

"Creating an opposing entity of one thing when another is already in existence can cause an even greater imbalance. If your original darkness came back and combined with you while you have the new darkness, they would collide and ultimately destroy the light in you. Master would literally become a dark entity herself."

I gulped and scratched my cheek with my free hand, "Okay. I guess finding Hotaru it is."

She nodded. "Rinto shall retrieve then." I agreed and she went back up to my shoulder and laid there calmly. Rinto had been the name I gave her when she first appeared. It was better than what she had as a name. Snake of Deceive. Yeah...way better. She reminded me of a thorn apple. So I simply mixed both and came up with Rinto.

She acted so unattached that it perturbed me sometimes. It really...reminded me of the meaning of the thorn apple.

I sigh as I try to pop my shoulder. Just then I hear a double knock on my door before it opens.

Only one person did that that I knew. "Obviously, you haven't learn to wait for an answer when knocking, huh?" I tease as I turn around to face the tall man that stood before me.

With his face hooded, I couldn't really tell what his face was but then again I already knew. The voice he spoke with said everything.

"Are you alright?" the deep baritone voice completely gave him away. Riku had let the darkness in him out in order to capture Roxas, or so they told me.

Apparently it had been shortly after I fought with Hotaru at the Skyscraper that they engaged in battle. He was victorious and brought Roxas back but not without paying a high price.

"Yep!" I call with a mock solute to him. There I go again: lying my ass off. "Why did you come?"

"I noticed you left and after you didn't return..."

"Aw, poor boy was worried," I cooed as I walked past him and patted his shoulder.

"Don't dismiss me like that."

"Or what?" I asked going completely cold. Yep, definitely a lie. I couldn't help but feel a connection with this kid. Ever since we met at Hollow Bastion a year ago he's been a major pain in the ass for me...as well as one of my greatest allies. I shook my head, throwing my short temper aside. "I'm sorry," I apologize taking a hand to my temple. "My head has been killing me these last days. DiZ and his orders have me like a madwoman all around town. 'Get this, make sure this is fine, go get ice cream'. I swear he acts like he can fucking boss me around."

"In a sense-"

"Don't even, big boy. He's a major thorn on my side that I would gladly get rid off. And were it not for Sora, I'd have kicked him to the next world already," I motion with my thumb and just then I wince. I'd unconsciously done it with my left arm...and it still hurt like a bitch. I hid myself behind a calm mask and motioned, with my right, for us to leave.

Without a word he followed after me and we soon found ourselves in the lower part of the mansion where all the computers that DiZ managed where and where Sora slumbered. In front of the computers there the old man sat and monitored Roxas. He and the virtual kids that he'd befriended sat atop the clock tower eating ice cream and apparently enjoying the treasures they'd won.

My mood instantly soured and rain poured down on me. I tried my best to hide it but it was rather hard. It reminded me so much of what we did, Axel, Roxas...and I.

"They look happy," I mumble a little to loud and notice DiZ scoff.

"He's a Nobody. He cannot feel."

"I've heard that before, many times. I don't believe it," I snarled at him with a furry that only he mustered from me.

"Then you are not as perceptive as I thought you to be."

I click my tongue and am about to retort with something nasty when I hear exclaims from the monitors. Glancing up, I see as Roxas falling from the tower.

"Goodness, no!" I called but the monitors instantly become static and the ones in charge of Sora's vitals begin to give readings off.

"What's happening?" Riku asked not understanding what was causing the interference.

"It's Sora's heart. Roxas has connected to Kairi through Sora," Ansem called as he typed away trying to stabilize the situation inside the virtual Twilight Town. "What a pest."

I scoffed and went up to the computer, "If you would only do this." Clicking three keys and pressing enter stabilized the whole city while putting Roxas back in his room.

"What did you do?" Riku asked me confused.

"A reset won't change the happenings in his mind," DiZ scolded at me.

"Yeah, well, at least he'll think it was his imagination," I wave it off. "He'll let it pass." A sudden jolt of unexpected energy jolted and caught me off guard. In turn, it made me jumped and grab my arm in response.

"What was that?" DiZ called startled.

"Nothing," I say between gritted teeth as I mask myself and head for Naminé's place where she watched over Sora. Walking away, I ignored the sudden glares I knew I was getting. One of confusion, the other was simply irritated.

**Damn it, Rinto!**

_"I apologize, Master. Alas, that was a move I had to make or your mask would have been broken."_

Taking stoicism to a whole new level was her job alright. I simply shrugged the feeling away and stepped into the chamber where Naminé stood alone watching over the sleeping kid.

"How's he?"

"Fine." Then silence. Weird. Naminé was never this quite with me.

"Have you been hearing everything that's happening to him?" I ask taking a sit on the floor and sitting with my legs crossed.

"Yes," with this she finally turned to look at me. I smile from beneath her. "Thank you. For giving him your necklace."

I smile and nod. The necklace she referred to was one she, herself, gave me back when I was in the Organization, feigning to be one of them. During Castle Oblivion, she had given it to me. Unbeknownst to me, that necklace was specially made to overhear events that the wearer went through. That was how Naminé had constantly kept a watch over me during my time in the Organization and how she now kept a close watch over what Roxas was going through.

"No problem," I say glancing at the ground. "I wouldn't have been a good 'big sister' had I not done it. Someone had to keep watch over him in my absence."

"You were...Roxas' mentor while in the Organization?" Naminé asked a bit fazed.

I hesitated a bit. I was his mentor...at least I think so. Memories of my time there are hazy now that Sora's memories are starting to rearrange. Naminé explained to me that because of my connection with him, however loose it was, I, too, was being affected by his rearrangement of memories.

"I believe so. Along with Axel, we taught him everything he knows. Or...knew, I guess." I didn't understand how to use my words now that he was as oblivious to everything as any other world dweller. "He was a good fighter. He'll do good to Sora."

She remained quiet until she hit me with one of the question that I didn't want to answer most. "You don't want Roxas to disappear...do you?"

Knowing it was coming, I had already masked myself and gave off a smirk as an answer. "What do I care of him? He was just a piece of the puzzle I managed to control from the inside." I stood up and began walking away, "He'll be better off going back where he belongs."

As I left I could've sworn that I heard her whisper, "That's a lie I can't believe from you."

Once out of her earshot, I sighed in disdain. I hated how perceptive she was of me.

"I thought my powers were stronger after Hotaru left?" I mumbled to myself but more to Rinto who promptly answered.

_"They have. But just because they are stronger doesn't mean that you can control them. The more unstable I am, the more powerful you will be, yes. However, if it's a power you cannot control then you cannot harbor its full potential as of yet."_

"You should really teach me how to since I'm getting really tired of not being able to hide myself," I admit. Sincerely, or as much as I can be, I've been hiding from the world too long with my deceiving eyes. I've grown to fond of not letting people anywhere near me. I never liked it. They're probing and judgmental stares and whispers. They bothered me too much to ignored them by myself. With my eyes it was easier because I simply hid behind lies and sugar coated insults towards them. It's better to live like that for me.

"Are you done talking to yourself?"

I spun on my heels to find Riku, again calling me with that baritone voice. From his hooded face I could barely see his hair peaking out of it. I sighed, trying to seem nonchalant and hoping that Rinto finally decided to work well for once. I came up close to him and tucked away the strands.

"You should really consider cutting your hair," I say with a fake grin as I step back. "You look more like a chick than I do."

He turned his head to the side as if ignoring me. "DiZ is looking for you."

"What's new," I say sarcastically. I walk past him and pat his arm, "Be careful out there." When I reached the door leading to the other rooms, I halt. I look over my shoulder and call, "Hey, what do you consider me?"

"What do you mean?" he asked turning fully towards me.

"Yeah," I say as if he were stupid. "What do you consider me? A friend? Ally? Or simply someone you work with by coincidence."

"Why does it matter?"

"I want to know." I wasn't asking just because. I wanted to know. "Choose."

"You're a great ally, I won't deny you that," he admitted after a few seconds.

"It sounds like there should be a but there."

"There is. I consider you a friend, somehow. You've helped us so much that it'd be improper not to."

I grin against my will. Improper, huh. So by duty and respect, he considers me a friend. I'm far below Sora and Kairi in that aspect then. I nodded and gave him my request anyway, "Soon, DiZ won't have a need for Naminé anymore. I don't want her to disappear."

As I said those words I realize that I could lie to Riku just as much as I could lie to Naminé. It was futile for me to try. I still did but mildly though. It seemed that all those connected to Sora were also partially immune to my powers. I could hide but only so much...and I hated that.

"I wish for her to go back to where she belongs too, like Roxas will," I say a bit stronger but not loud enough to be overheard. "And I know that in the end she will choose what path is the best." I sigh and stopped beating around the bush, "I want you to protect Naminé. People like us, simple human beings, shouldn't mess with the free will of others."

He remained quiet and for a moment I swore he was going to completely ignore my petition and call me crazy. But then he simply said, "I'll do what I can."

Those words made a quirk come to my lips. I simply nodded in answer and left quickly going to the computer room. There DiZ met me with a stoic face. Rinto and him should hang out sometime. Looks like they'd have such a fun time together.

"What's up, doc?" I called humorlessly at him while standing with one hand on my hip.

"You need to occupy yourself with the Nobodies outside," DiZ called almost commanding it. "They cannot become a nuisance now when we're so close to our goal."

I tsked before going away without an answer. He was bullshitting me, that I knew, because I head previously scanned the whole perimeter from top to bottom and I had found no Nobodies or Heartless. And although that was weird in of itself, I wouldn't care as long as they didn't interfere.

Knowing it was safe for now, I headed to my room while massaging my neck with my hand. I hadn't a nice night's sleep since I came back. Guilt drove me crazy at night still and nightmares were more than usual for me. So instead of sleeping fully, naps were more useful since I slept for half hour lapses that let less nightmares in to haunt me.

I opened the door and locked it shut behind me. I could rest for now and so I went and slumped myself onto my bed. But hearing a paper crunching beneath me, made me get up immediately.

"What in the-" I sit up and look at the crumpled envelope in my hand. Smoothing it out, I find a distinct seal of a mouse's silhouette on the back. I open it to find a letter inside.

_Ayano, there are matters of importance that I think ya should be here for yourself. I know this is strange and perhaps sudden but this will answer some questions of yours. Head to the Twilight Town's train station. By seven o'clock a train will await for your arrival and take you where we are. Don't worry, you'll know which one when you see it. _

_P.S. Believe me, this encounter will answer a lot of the stuff you've wanted answered. _

_-King Mickey_

King? Mickey!? I stare at the short letter in my hands still unable to believe that the king that those three had been looking for actually called me for a meeting...wherever he may be.

I reread the letter again to make sure of the contents. Yeah, it was him alright.

A train will be waiting for me at seven, huh? I glanced over to the clock hanging above my wall. I only had fifteen minutes to decide whether to believe the mouse or not. Either I left right now and met with him or...I stayed behind.

What did I gain from staying here? Sora would soon awake. He didn't need me much. Riku could look after him while he slept these last three days. Besides...seeing Roxas disappear wasn't something I wanted very much.

I sighed and got up while crumpling the paper into a ball and throwing it in the trash. I left my room and headed straight for Naminé's room. I call her name as I enter and she turns a bit startled at me.

"What's the matter?" she asks a bit confused.

I shake my head and glance up at Sora. "I wanted to ask you something. The necklace I gave to Roxas, what will happen to it once he returns to Sora?"

"It'll be given to him from succession," she answered.

I figured and nod at her one last time before asking. "Could it be possible to interconnect more than one bracelet and necklace?"

"Why do you ask?"

I bite my lip a bit. Should I tell her? I ignore the question. If I do, it'll be involving her too much in my problems. I couldn't do that to her. "I want to make sure that he's being thoroughly watched over. He can't be left alone or he'll hurt himself or something," I lie with a small smile plastered on my face.

She looks at me for an instant before nodding. "That sounds like a good idea." Her hand moved towards the bracelet on her left wrist and took it off. Taking my own right wrist into her hand, she places it on me. "This will do. If you ever find yourself in need of another necklace just pull a bead from here to create it. It'll remain with three beads but you can only create two more from this one."

"Cool," I say as I look at the crystal beads that hang from the tight wrist band. I look at her with a small smile before adding, "Thanks by the way. For everything."

She shook her head once and gave me back the same smile, "Thank you, Ayano. I've learn plenty from you. And for that I am thankful." She glanced over at Sora before continuing. "DiZ is very preoccupied with Sora's awakening as well as Riku. No one's really minding anybody else's business, huh?"

My half-hooded eyes widen at her sudden comment. Soon enough, though, I understand the meaning of her words. She perceived what I wanted to do. It was the only way she would be speaking to me in that manner.

"I have a job to do too," I say as I scratch my cheek and begin leaving. "It was a pleasure meeting you Naminé. You were one of the few who understood me most. I'm thankful for that from you."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. With this last farewell, I leave and pass DiZ without warning. I see Riku nowhere in the vicinity and for that I was glad. Out of all, I think he would be the one to be asking many questions.

Without any further distraction, I arrive at the train station minutes before seven. After buying my ticket, I stand in the platforms awaiting this 'train' that Mickey said to wait for.

I blew away my bangs that had grown annoyingly long. Nowadays, I had to have my hair tied or in a braid for it to stay put and that bothered me lots. I waited with my arms crossed before me and my foot tapping the platform floor. A few minutes in, the great clock tower above the platform resounding and gave away seven consecutive bell tolls. I glanced up as it resonated and heaviness settle upon my chest. I held a grip to the place with one hand and squeezed. This guilt would be the end of me someday.

I sighed and closed my eyes. The moment I did, though, I heard a distant train whistle blow twice. Glancing at the only empty platform, I watch as a overly flamboyant train the color of purple and gold came to a halt before me. I stared at dumbfounded at its astounding and zealous colors. I blew my bangs away once again and huffed a chuckle. Atop the engine compartment was a triangular hat with ears on it.

Yep, this was the train alright. Nothing like it around here. The door opened by itself the moment I came near it. I briefly stopped before entering it and sat down on one of the many open sits. As soon as I was ready, the train departed and in less than minutes it was heading out of Twilight Town.

"Where the hell is it taking me?" I call to no one as I look out one of the star-shaped windows. My answer came soon after as the scenario disappeared and in its stead came to be a rainbow-colored sky and ground. The railroads on which it traveled appeared as it went and made me wondered just where in the hell I was.

In what seemed a couple of hours, the train was finally tooting its whistle signaling that the next stop was on its way. Looking out the window again, I saw this tower that was appearing through the horizon along with a piece of land that remained afloat where nothing else stood.

Within twenty minutes the train halted just before the tower and opened its doors to show the way out. Standing up and getting out, I walked only a few steps away from it before I heard a distinct whoosh. Turning behind me, I gasped as the train completely disappeared.

Well, I guess there's no turning back. It didn't take me long to get to the double doors that stood as entrance and went through it. I grimaced at seeing what was inside.

Stairs. Fucking hate stairs. Sighing away my annoyance, I began climbing staircase after staircase. I must have gone three or four floors up before I saw a door that didn't look like that others.

I didn't bother knocking and instead opened the door. Inside the room was a simple study. A desk and arm chair stood in the middle. The windows of odd shapes stood behind it and shelves of books adorned the walls along with a couple of wood chairs and buckets with brooms as well. A single candle's dim light illuminated the small room that I had stepped in. A single other door stood to the far right of the room. After a second's silence it opened and out came a short, hooded figure but by the huge round ears I figured there was just one whom it could be.

"You called for me, Mickey?" I called putting my hand on my hip. At my outburst, he jumped startled but when he recognized it was me. He quickly faced the inside of the other room. I didn't hear much beyond the muffle of his voice which, in reality, didn't care much for. All I cared about was why he had called me out when Sora wasn't even fully awake.

"I'm glad ya decided to heed my letter, Ayano," he called walking to stand a few feet before me as we stood in front of the desk. "After I heard from Master Yen Sid what you were to Oswald, I had to see for myself."

"So that's what this was all about?" I ask in disbelief. "To showcase me?"

"No! Absolutely not!" he called loudly and waving his hands in denial. Odd. He seemed squeamish. "Master Yen Sid told me everything he knew about you which is something that I think you should hear for yourself."

"That's nonsense," I call starting to leave and reaching for the doorknob. "There's nothing I don't know about myself."

"You don't know everything, child."

My hand froze at hearing that deep and lethargic voice. My eyes widened and I couldn't help my be nervous.

That voice...

_"We cannot allow her to fall into the wrong hands. You understand this, don't you, Oswald?"_

I turn to find an old man in blue robes and a pointed blue had with stars on it. His beard fell on before his robe and glanced at me with a piercing stare.

"I assume you know who I am."

"Yeah." My anger was spilling with venom through my words. I hated this guy. It was because of him that I ran away from Wasteland. He was making Oswald throw me away.

"You're the bastard that wanted to send me away from Os."

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_**Pretty damn long for a first chapter but nonetheless it's a fair start. It took me about two weeks to write this so maybe that'll be the pace of stuff. Don't count on it though -w- **_

_**So how was it? Anything interesting or confusing yet? Good :D**_

_**Dont forget to review! C:**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Well I really liked the heartfelt welcome you gave the continuation this saga. For now, it'll be going somewhat slow. Hopefully not, though -w- That's my hopeful wishing though._**

**_Anyway thanks to Leopardsplash, xXChaoticOrderXx, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, and Twilight Dark Angel for all the reviews, story favs, and follows. _**

**_That really made my day you guys! :D_**

**_So let's get going with the next chapter shall we?_**

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**The Second Mask: Snake Queen **

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I couldn't help but glare at the old man that now took a seat before me and behind the desk. Mickey and I stood on the other side. The mouse held a dumbfounded look on his face from the outburst I had given when the old man first walked into the room.

Sincerely, I couldn't have cared less had he been a saint. That voice that had spoken to Oswald the day I gave up and lost everything was his. He wouldn't be exempt of that.

"Gosh," Mickey said rubbing the back of his head. "You're a bright drop of sunshine, aren't ya?"

"Sarcasm aside, I believe so," I say leaning to one side and crossing my arms before me. I glare back at the old geezer, "Now, you were there who told Os to move me from Wasteland, no?"

He nodded once slowly and averted his gaze, "It was necessary for you to be removed from his presence."

"I overheard the conversation," I say with a nasty undertone to my voice. Really, I remembered that conversation as if I had left yesterday and not a year ago. "You said that I was absorbing too much of Oswald's powers because of my own. I had to leave or otherwise I'd become -what did you say?- ah, yes, a beacon for Heartless."

I paced around trying to seem as nonchalant as I didn't feel. "Now," I say stopping and raising one hand. "I do get that after I left the Heartless took over Wasteland. I don't understand what you meant exactly with me absorbing his powers. What powers did you stupid bunny have besides painting horrible arts?"

"You must know by now that Oswald was an old Keyblade wielder."

And like he said, the news weren't really new to me. I had fought him and had tragically gotten my ass kicked by him. "I never took those powers though," I say with a grunt and pout. "I did't even know he had them back then."

"It wasn't you who knew."

At this he caught me off guard but I didn't let it show. Again I hid behind my mask. "Who else, pray tell, would know in me besides me?"

"I think you know the answer to that as well."

I glare down at him through those piercing eyes of his and even I falter a bit. I think for a second before a single name comes to my lips through a low mumble, "Hotaru." I think through all my options of why I really came here. I wanted answers and they had them. At least the old man, Yen Sid did. However, I don't think they'd come without a price tag attached.

"Okay," I say raising my hands in surrender. "I get it. You might know more things about myself than I do and truth be told I want those answers. Now you brought me here for a reason, correct? There should be some kind of agreement we could come up with as the civilized people we are." As I heard the words spill from my mouth, I couldn't believe the bull that was coming out. Civilized people, yeah right. If anything I was the least qualified to fall on that category. "Now what did you want in the first place by calling me here?"

"What you obtain for information yourself," Yen Sid called out.

"Information?"

"About Organization XIII," the mouse squeaked out as he came to my field of vision a little to my side.

"You mean..." I averted my gaze not thinking twice about. "From when I infiltrated there."

The old man nodded again with that slow motion of his that started to tick me off. "You have information that no one else had but you. In exchange I shall tell to you all that I know of who you are up until when Oswald and myself found you."

Those two words again. Found me. I found out the day I escaped that they hadn't really raised me like I'd thought for some time but instead had found me goodness knew where. Since that day the thought hadn't reoccurred to me but now it was a question pounding heavily on my head.

Knowing that they would fall for anything as long as it went along the correct lines I decided to lie yet again. "Actually-" But his hand abruptly halted me before I could continue and he took my place to talk.

"Beware that your powers although they are more powerful they cannot deceive those who know their source." He surprised me at saying this. It had been the same attitude that Maleficent had taken when she found me. "I know you are unable to control it however if you tell the lie as close to the truth as you can then it won't be a problem between us."

I grumbled something that I didn't even understand under my breath before taking a deep breath. He was right. I couldn't stop lying. For some awfully inconceivable reason I couldn't stop myself. It was instinct for me to lie using my powers. I had done it ever since I had enough conscious to think for myself. And now he wanted me to lie with the truth. The only way I could do that was when used one certain mask and right now Sora's mask that I had was chipped with missing pieces. Ever since Naminé rearranged his memories back together, I've been unable to correctly use his mask without it failing on me. When it failed I resorted to my basic lying mask that simply covered up every word I said with a lie.

**Should I even try?**

_"Master, although the young boy's mask is damaged it could be usable with the amount of energy I can emanate now. However, it could cost a bit more of rearranging than usual."_

Shit. I didn't want that either. It hurt way too much. There was no other way though and so I used Sora's mask to pull out the truth out of my stone heart.

"I don't think any information I got would be of any use to us," I confess averting my eyes to look down. "Their leader knew from the beginning that I was a spy without even me knowing. I had been setup for his own machinations. All information if any that I gathered was something we already knew and even the minute part that we didn't must have been deliberately given to me to divert my attention. I should have been more diligent but nonetheless I was caught off guard completely. So nothing that I know now is any different or useful than what you know."

As I finished relating everything I could as close to the truth as possible I let the mask slip off as the neutral one appears. But the moment it slips off, the crackling of energy begins rearranging itself upon my arm and this time it extends past it towards my chest making it hard for me to breath.

"Ayano!"

I hold out my hand when I hear Mickey call out in worry. It would pass all I needed was time. This exchange turned out to be one of the quick ones and ended in minutes with Rinto resting on my shoulder.

"What just happened?"

"How long have you and your other half been separated?"

I glanced at Yen Sid quizzically. How could he possibly know something that only I knew? Specially when the only one who told me that knew had been Rinto.

"Answer my questions first now that I've answered yours," I called defiantly still holding to my left shoulder. "You said a year ago to Oswald that I had to leave because of what my powers were doing. How exactly do you know of them? And what do you know of them?"

"Some years ago, I knew someone, who although didn't have the same ability as you, held an eye power," he began explaining understanding my conditions.

My brow furrows at this. There's different types?

"She alike you had a very strong ability that caused her problems. Her powers would intensify greatly through times of her life that required her to be move around from world to world. Back then, there wasn't much knowledge of your kind of power. Even now little is known about them because of the scarcity of their wielders."

"This other woman," I say curious. "What happened to her?"

Yen Sid's gaze fell down as if in deep sorrow. "She perished in battle about ten years ago."

Well, so much for being able to speak to her about my powers. I sigh, "How do my powers attract Heartless?"

His glance returned to me with the same piercing stare that they had. "If left to stand too much in one place they began sending strong waves of negative energy. These are powerful enough to travel through worlds and through the corridors between them. As I said before they serve as a beacon." He motioned his hand to my hand that held my aching shoulder. "The energy lashing you just felt are those waves exactly."

"I've never been physically hurt before from these 'waves'. What makes it so now?"

"There are two ways for strong fluctuations on the negative energy from your powers to start resonating. One comes with natural aging, as the user matures so do their powers becoming more stable as the years pass. Because they are balanced the energy does not lash but instead exits the body in steady resonances. This leads to a longer time from which the beacon grows. By last year, you at the age of fifteen had released enough resonances throughout Wasteland that the Heartless were drawing dangerously close to it. This is the reason why I called for your extraction from there."

"And the second?" Mickey asked seemingly curious of this as well. His curiosity in itself was...curious to me.

"In order for the negative energy of those powers to fluctuate in a normal pace there must be a countering force that balances it out. Just like there are opposites of everything in the worlds, this is no different. A human being holds two parts of itself that remained balanced through our existence: the light and the dark sides. Through growth and maturity we begin to gradually tip the balances in either direction which allows us to become either beings of light or beings of darkness."

"Like the Heartless or any other being of the light," I say somehow understanding all of his wise babble.

He nodded lethargically before continuing. "In the case that either part becomes corrupted or ceases to exist within us, the balance is put out of the question. There is none from that point onward. By this point, the light and dark sides have been physically separated in real time and space making them two separate beings. One of pure light, the other of pure darkness. One cannot exist or perish without the other. This unbalance then becomes a great crevasse from which the negative powers overflow. It augments the strength of it but at the same time makes it uncontrollable for the user. Eventually without either part finding a replacement for the side it lost, it will be overwhelmed by its incompleteness and cease to exist all together."

"I'm not balanced so my ability is back firing at me," I mumble under my breath.

"Now this brings me to my original question. How long has it been since your two halves separated?"

I remained quiet for a while trying to absorb everything in. It was hard but doable. In minutes I began to tell him, "It's almost been a month."

"Mm," he mumbles while contemplating the situation for what it was.

"How long do I have realistically?" I asked much more grimly than I had intended.

"It hasn't been long so your prospects are still quite high. If you do not wish to cease being then you must find the side you lost and regain it."

"How though?" I asked not able to grasp that one concept. Hotaru left me. Goodness knows where she is.

"For this...you will need a Keyblade Master."

"Keyblade Master?" I asked confused. "What for?"

"I see." I turn to Mickey who was holding his chin with one of his gloved hands. His brows furrowed, deep in thought. He looked up to Yen Sid as if ignoring me. "A balance between dark and light are concepts that are held closely to the heart. A heart is made up of equal parts. When matters of the heart are concerned, normally as Keyblade is necessary to break the bonds that unite it to a corporeal body and even to its subsequent parts. So in theory, it would be obvious to say that if to mend a torn heart is what you want, you would need the same thing that liberates them when they are in captivity."

Whoa. I was amazed at how the mouse could use such sophisticated language. Like this he almost sounded like Oswald. I shook my head. As fancy as that was, it had escaped me. I turn to Yen Sid, "Come again."

"A Keyblade serves to unlock a heart. But it can also be used to unite the heart together. It's powers are such that it allows it that ability," he explained shortly.

"So in order to not die I need to find Hotaru to bind her back to me. Not only that but to make things more complicated I also need a Keyblade to forcefully unite her back to me," I say just recapping it. "That sounds just splendid," I say with a tired sigh. "I don't even know where to start looking!"

"I might have some inkling of where you could start." I turned to him as he caught my attention, "Just like you, she too searches for the side that she misses. And since I presume she does not want to return to you willingly, she will then search for another being that alike you was physically separated into two beings."

"Does this only happen to us? I mean, the ones that have this powers like mine?" I asked a bit curious.

"Apparently so," he answered with a nod. "I have not yet encountered a being that so rigidly followed the lines of what a heart consists of like the ones who hold the snake abilities."

"You seem to know awfully much about them considering that only one friend of yours had it," I say a little skeptic. "Where exactly did you learn all of this?"

He motioned his hand out and suddenly a book from one of the shelves came hovering over to us and swiftly landing on the desk facing him. Flicking his wrist he made the book rotate to face me.

"This is a book relating the myth of the Serpent Queen. Although it is a myth, all legends come from a bit of truth. If you wish you could read it and find that it portrays what I told you about your ability. At least in the basic concept. Everything else, I gained through my old friend." He nodded towards the door from which they had both come from. "In the meanwhile, if you would like, the good three fairies that reside on the other side of that door could help you to get accommodated for now while you wait."

"Wait?" I blurted out without wanting to. "Wait for what?"

"I forgot to mention in my letter," Mickey started turning to me. "You can't go back to where Riku and Sora are. Not right now at least. You're powers are overflowing and are becoming the same beacon that Master Yen Sid said it would be. Heartless now are swarming around Twilight Town awaiting to unite to a heart seeking its dark side."

"That's why they annoy me like flies on honey," I say tapping my chin. I sigh, "What was the catch anyway? Why would you exchange such valuable information?"

"In exchange all we ask is that you aide Sora in his upcoming quest. With the looming threat that Organization XIII posses, we will need as much help as we can obtain," he said blatantly.

I contemplate this while averting my eyes. I sigh again while massaging my neck, "You know, I was already to planning to help Sora out anyway. That little punk can't seem to hold his ground much without any help anyways. So you basically gave up your info for nothing."

"Thank you, Ayano," Mickey said with a grand smile of gratitude on his face. I smiled back and nodded.

I grabbed the book from his desk before glancing up at Yen Sid and mumbling a hushed 'thank you'. I pointed towards the door with my thumb, "Is that were your good fairies are, then?"

He nodded once more, "If you ask them kindly, they will provide you with clothes befitting the journey that you are to embark in. As well as some special garments that I have kept for you that belonged to Oswald. I believe they will help you immensely on your quest of finding your other side."

I nodded and start heading over to the door. I stop just when my playful side begins to emerge, "Just for the note, this doesn't mean anything. It was a simple exchange of information. I shall see whether or not I take you up to par for it." As I say this last part I wiggle the book he gave me up to them and enter the room. Through it i find yet another similar room with shelves of books and other stuff around the circular walls. In it I find three short ladies in different colored garments: red, blue and green.

"Oh my!" the red robed lady called noticing me. It seems that I had interrupted them in the midst of their little tea party. Literally. "It seems we have a visitor, my dears." The other two turn to face me and I avert my eyes as they jump a bit startle. More than likely they had just seen my eyes that since Rinto had become more powerful had become brighter than even their former selves back in Wasteland.

"What a rare sight to see a young girl in this battle," the green one said with a sweet older woman's voice.

"But a girl's power is needed in any fight," the blue one said fiery.

The red one shook her head lightly and faced me again. "We were told by Master Yen Sid of your arrival. Is there something you might want?"

I gulp down the knot in my throat, "I was going to ask if you could perhaps do something about my clothes." Instantly they prop up as if enthusiastic and jump from their seat walking over to me. Soon they surround me while talking amongst them. When I hear them talking about a design for my clothes I immediately but in.

"Um, I kinda had some sort of idea for that," I say to them loud enough for them to hear me. They jump again startled and turn to look at me.

"Well, you are going to be the one wearing them," the red one said with a mild chuckle. Picking a wand from under her sleeve, she whisks her wrist and a little light shoots out towards the table making a notepad and pen appear on it. "Go on, child. Tells us what you had in mind." I nod and head over to the table and take a seat while taking the notepad. I begin drawing something and the fairies intervene from time to time to make their own input as to what would be more efficient to fighting and whatnot.

Almost hours pass before we all hear a creak from the main door. Turning to it, we find Yen Sid coming inside the room. "I see you all seem to be getting fairly along."

"Plenty, Master Yen Sid," the blue fairy -Merryweather- called with a huff.

"She's quite the artist," Fauna said with a small giggle.

"She's been helping us decipher just what she will wear," Flora said as she comes close to Yen Sid.

He nods and from under his sleeve he picks up something that I hadn't seen since a year ago.

"My Star Shard!"

Now fully restored, I saw the purplish blue hue of the star that had guided me off my homeland the first time. Yen Sid nods, "It was brought to me by a small Nobody that seemed harmless."

"Echo..." I mumble dropping the notepad a bit. I missed him. Him and Hibiki.

"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather," he calls as he gives Flora the Star Shard. "Oswald's armor should be locked away in the lower floor. It should be restored and made to Ayano's size. Fuse the Star Shard as well into it."

"Fuse it?" I ask as the fairies leave to do the task given to them.

"It shall allow you to travel most diligently about the worlds. The armor itself will contain your powers from overflowing on its real time, slowing them down."

I nod and stand up leaving the notepad with our finished product in it. I glance up at him, "I had a question that I forgot to ask of you." I averted my eyes not knowing if I really wanted to know the truth of this one. Nonetheless I took up my courage and asked, "Oswald said that you all had found me. Where did you find me and why didn't any of you tell me?"

His own gaze shot down and then he motioned me to sit back down. I did and, curiously enough, he sat down with me on the chair right before me.

"Oswald had been doing reconnaissance on a world that had been uninhabited for years by then. The world you know as Hollow Bastion."

I furrow my brow and didn't understand this. "But I thought Maleficent had been in that place all that time."

He shook his head, "Even before the evil witch took over the world after its downfall, it was a world like any other inhabited by beings of light. It was almost nine years ago that he found an underground facility in an old home. Upon discovering this, he called me and we both went to investigate. It was odd to us that the place had been completely untouched by the Heartless." He averted his gaze, "It was made clear to us as we searched in further. The place had been sealed off by powerful magic in order to protect it. However I think it was placed there in order to protect what resided in there: you."

"Me?" I say a bit hoarsely. My eyes lingered on his face for him to continue.

"Yes. A small child of no more than six slept encapsulated. We liberated her from her imprisonment. All you knew when you awoke after we let you free was your name and nothing more."

I glanced down and take everything in that he's telling me. "All this happened in Hollow Bastion?" He nodded answering me. "So you really did find me then." Finally processing everything, I stood up. "There's no point brooding over it now. I have to help Sora. I'll figure out what happened eventually once everything is dealt with."

He stood up and proudly nodded. "A wise choice. Don't let the fear of the unknown stop you from seeking out the truth."

I nod back and smile. "By the way, why do you have this armor of Oswald's?"

"After we found you and he decided to take you in, he wanted for you to know nothing of the Keyblade or of the struggled between the worlds. He decided to leave everything behind with me."

"All except his Keyblades," I come in after he finishes. "I saw them when I was small. He never used them though and as I grew older I never saw them again."

"That is because as you grew older you're powers grew themselves. Being the eyes that deceive, they absorb other pieces of heart to hide itself. As time came and went your powers began to absorb Oswald's own even and taking his ability if momentarily for those years."

"Did he tell you that he can wield them again?"

He nodded lethargically, "He told me quickly after he met you months ago. He used the Extracting Thinner I gave him to take back his ability from your powers."

"I see," I say and I was about to continue the conversation when we heard the door open. The good fairies come as Flora still carried the Star Shard in her hands while Fauna and Merryweather carry pieces of what I guess was what Yen Sid said was Oswald's armor. The 'armor' was nothing more than broken pieces of a blue and black metal. Placing them and the Star Shard on the table before motioning me to scoot back. Flora shooed me off to the center as Flora and Merryweather began to rearrange the two items that they had retrieved. "Now dears, together." All three fairies flicked their wands at the objects and managed to fuse the two together.

The light that came from it blinded me and made me raise my hand to my eyes. Once it ebbed I looked at it and saw the armor that was once blue and black change into a hue of red with gold and black. The pieces were neatly placed on the table awaiting to be used.

"There," Flora said.

"Good as new," Fauna agreed.

"Shall we try it on you?" Merryweather asked me as she turned towards me.

"Um, sure. But I don't know how you're going to-" but Yen Sid came up to the armor itself and tapped at something with his finger. With that he made it all glitter and become one single piece, a shoulder piece. It still resembled the same fiery armor that I had seen but on a small shoulder piece and in the center a gem glitter in bright reds and golds. The Star Shard. Although it was clearly a different color the glimmering was the same.

He grabbed it and gave it to me. "Wear this on your left shoulder and I will show you how to use it."

I didn't really like that he was being so cryptic with this whole armor thing. Nonetheless I strapped it on my left shoulder where my snake tattoo resided. I moved my shoulder around adjusting it. "Okay, it's on."

He nodded and said, "Now fist your right hand and tap the center of the shoulder piece with it."

I glanced at my hand as I fist it and looked over my shoulder. "Like this?" I ask and tap it slightly. Suddenly a bright red and gold light engulfed my sight and then I felt as it engulfed my body in its warmth that was replaced by the armor that they had repaired. I turned towards the mirror and gasped at my reflection in it. The armor that had been on the table now was on me and I had to admit it looked pretty damn cool.

The visor gave me a more obscured vision of it but it was okay. The armor itself wasn't heavy but it looked like it would take quite a beating.

"This is awesome," I say under my breath as I admire it in the mirror. The best thing about it was that the visor was dark enough on the outside that it made my bright glowing eyes invisible through the outside.

"The Star Shard fused to the armor will allow it's old travelling guidance system to reboot. Also, the armor itself will restrain your powers from overwhelming your body," Yen Sid said to me.

"And it's a pretty nice color too," Fauna added making me chuckle.

"It is actually," I say and tap the left shoulder piece again and the armor recedes back to the single piece of armor. I whistled amazed at this kind of stuff. "Who knew the stupid bunny had stuff like these. Pretty cool."

"Oh dear!" Fauna called glancing down at the notepad.

"What is it, dear?" Flora asked startled.

"It'll ruin Ayano's concept," Flora said showing me my drawing of my outfit. I chuckled while Yen Sid shook his head at their lightheartedness.

I glanced at it and imagine something up in my mind. I take the notepad and the pen and change some things on the left shoulder. "Maybe if I do this..." I mumbled and redraw it a bit. "There. You ladies think this is possible?"

"Mm," Flora said glancing at it. She finally nods in agreement, "It should be no problem at all."

"We should get started. This design will take some time to make!" Fauna said as she goes about gathering materials followed by Merryweather.

"Gives us a couple of hours child and this will be a complete success," Flora said as the two others disappeared in a twinkle of light of their color. Flora followed swiftly behind them in a twinkle of pink light.

"What a enthusiastic bunch," I mumble and touch the shoulder piece on my left shoulder. I meant to touch the tattoo of the snake but with the shoulder piece I couldn't do that now.

"That door will lead you to a vacant room in which you can rest for the time being," Yen Sid told me pointing at one door. "Rest while the good fairies finish your garments and then you shall depart."

I turn to look at him and nod, "Thanks again. For everything." He nodded and response and left as I headed to the room he had told me about. Entering it was nothing but a small bedroom with a wardrobe and a bed facing out through a star-shaped window. It looked over the outside facing the grounds where the train had left me hours ago.

The meanwhile I waited I read through the book Yen Sid had given me. It was a child's book and it was about a snake queen who was sad and angry at the world. In reality she was more angry at herself and the powers that her eyes held. Her hair that was made up of snakes that each had a power. Because of them humans saw her as a monster that she wasn't. One day a human came and changed her mind and blah, blah, blah. It was no different than any other fairy tale.

The similarities at the snake queen and me. Red eyes, the snakes...being called a monster. There were too many coincidences to blow it off as a simple child's story. Putting it aside and laid down on the bed and slowly went off to sleep.

"Deary, wake up!" I snapped awake at hearing Flora's voice startled.

"What's the matter?" I say groggily awaking with the fairies in my room.

"We're finished with your garments," she told me as the others nodded.

"Master Yen Sid said that you should get ready. You are to depart soon and he wishes to speak to you before you need to go," Fauna said sweetly as she and Merryweather dragged me off the bed still half asleep. I yawn as I stand before them.

"Alright," I say as I rub my eye. "Give me the clothes so I can change."

"Silly girl," Merryweather called huffing. "We're going to change you!"

"What?!" I called startled. "I can do that fine by myself!"

"Ready dearies?" Flora called as they once again flicked their wands together and shot strings of light at me. I shut my eyes and expected anything. "Alright, open them up." I cautiously did so but stared amazed at what they had come up for me.

"Oh, it's gorgeous!" Fauna fawn over it.

"A perfect work, if I do say so myself," Merryweather said proudly.

"What do you think child?" Flora asked me.

I glanced myself at the mirror and couldn't help but admire their work. I had a pair of crimson shorts and over it a slick black skirt lined in red. To the side of the skirt was a ribbon tied with the ends double stripped in red. My top was a sleeveless red shirt that buttoned up. The coat that we had the most trouble redesigning was even better than the original. Instead of having both long sleeves it only had the right sleeve while the left wasn't there. Instead of it, the red armor shoulder piece went splendidly with it. The double breasted coat itself was warm and seemed to go well for any kind of climate. I could either leave it open and tie a the ribbon it had behind me to keep it from bothering me or I could close the the three sets of buttons that ended at my hip as the rest flowed open below to my knees showing my skirt but not my top. My scarf was neatly folded inside so that nothing but the folded side was seen from the outside and it covered my chin and up to my nose. My hood itself was furred with grays and whites on the edge and it ended conveniently right were my scarf would be. Just were my coat ended was where my knee high boots start. They had gratefully left my old boots that let me fight so comfortably. They simply cleaned them up and changed the color from brown to black with gold latches over black stockings. Along with them on my left thigh was the holster for Ares that was neatly placed there. My hair was still the same short shoulder length with the red highlights and with the same red clips holding my bangs from one side back.

"I love it..." I swooned as I twirled and saw the armor glitter under the light. I turned to them, "Thank you so much for this!"

"You're most welcome sweetie," Flora said with the other two nodding in agreement.

"You should go meet up with Master Yen Sid," Fauna said as she shooed me along.

"There's no time to lose," Merryweather called as they disappeared again and left me to walk inside the studio alone.

Inside I was met yet again by the old man Yen Sid. I stood before his desk as he began speaking to me shortly after. "So I see they have given you what you needed."

"They did a magnificent job at it as well," I say sticking my hands into the coat's pocket. "They told me you wanted to speak to me?"

He nodded before going on, "On this journey Sora will be going against enemies that you are well acquainted with."

"Organization XIII," I mumble under my breath letting my scarf hide my mouth.

"And he will need your help. However you have a mission to undergo yourself, to find your other side that has escaped you."

"How will I find her though?" I ask not really sure.

"Shadows are created from the light. If you pursue the light, you will surely encounter the shadows," Yen Sid said cryptically. "If you follow Sora's footsteps you shall find something in his midst."

"Follow and help the midget. Gotcha. Anything else?"

"The only gateway that is open as of now leads to Hollow Bastion." I couldn't help but think back at what he had told me before. "Sora will head there first if anything."

"Is he awake yet?"

"I am not certain but Mickey has gone to guide him to this very same place in order to be informed of the situation. Although he, along with Mickey and Riku, successfully closed Kingdom Hearts darkness always will exist as a balance. But now Organization XIII is disrupting that balance. To what end we do not know."

I bit back my tongue. In all my time there I never once found out what they were really after. All I knew is that they treasured Roxas' powers above all others. "I will be at his side but I will not show myself. By now the Organization must have a target on my head. I will help him how I can."

He nodded grateful. "Your armor comes along with a very particular mode of transportation," he said while motioning to the outside of his window. I ran up to it and watch as what looked like a motorcycle float in mid air. It had the shape of it, at least that was what Oswald called it. I had seen a portrait that he had drawn with the brush of his. This one however was not as bulky but more thinner as it made for a woman and instead of the blacks and blues, this one was a mostly red with black and gold hues.

"Sweet," I mumble.

A sudden tooting of a train catches my attention making me look down towards the terrain. There I see as the train tracks begin to appear again and soon the train that brought me here follows suit.

"It's the train," I call to Yen Sid who looks outwards the window as well.

"It must be Sora and the others. Mickey must have sent them here," he said.

"Did I spend three days here?" I ask as he moves away.

"Times passes differently between the worlds and their different spaces," he said as he went back to stand by his chair. "You must leave. Sora cannot find you here."

I know he can't. Otherwise he would be asking countless questions that I wouldn't be able to answer him. I nod and hit my shoulder piece with my fist as it engulfs me again with the armor.

I turn to him before leaving, "Thanks again for everything. Tell Mickey as well if you see him." He nods and I jump out towards the bike and get quickly used to the feel of it under me. I gear it up and go away towards the space between worlds were the gates awaited and where I knew my first stop would be Hollow Bastion.

My real birth place.

* * *

_**Sorry about the motorcycle part :3 I couldn't find any other way to describe it. Well it's 6k of words so thats plenty. I'll write the third chapter up when I have time :) Hope you liked this.**_

**_Don't forget to review for cookies ;D_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well here I am. Finals are catching up so hopefully during Christmas break I'll write even more. So for now let's go on to the thanks.**_

_**Thanks to Antex - The Legendary Zoroark for the awesome review. And thanks as well to the anonymous for leaving her comment. **_

_**Again, I appreciate the criticism. It helps me grow immensely as a writer and it helps me find ways to show you guys even more entertainment. **_

_**So for now let's keep going with this thing!**_** :D**

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_**The Third Mask: Lost Boy**_

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A small boy, of almost eleven years of age, sat in the common room table of the small house that he lived in. In this place, it was hard to find peace specially with the constant Heartless infestation along with the new Nobodies that arrived. He had a hard time sleeping last night because of the constant triggers firing from Claymore.

But then again when had he had a decent night's sleep?

That he could recall: never.

"Good morning, Haru."

The boy turned to the voice of whom he had first awaken to months ago. Aerith walked into the common room where they mostly had dinner and met to discuss strategies against the Heartless and Nobodies. The boy would listen in to those conversation since they sent him to sleep whenever they had them. Always late they were but he wouldn't miss them. He liked overhearing them speak of battle tactics and how to proceed. He didn't know what effort he could put on the resistance but he hoped someday to help the people who had helped him.

"Morning," he said gloomily as he continues to do what he had gotten up to do. Before him on the table was a drawing notebook. A single black, ink pen was in his hand as it flew across the paper while he drew what would always be so vividly edged in his mind when he would awake in the middle of the night.

Pages and pages had already filled the notebook and it was half way full by the months he had been there.

Aerith let out a soft sigh and slightly grabbed the bright blue hood that covered his head while he colored. Pulling it off his head, she unveiled his young face that he hid so much from them even now.

"I've told you before, you don't have to hide from us," Aerith said referring to his eyes that shone a bright crimson. They were bright enough to pull a glow on themselves, shinning in the dim lit room not giving him any need for lights. He averted his eyes while blinking the brightness away as his eyes changed from bright red into a colorful, bright green. His dark brown hair was ruffled from his hood been pulled off. However, it soon regain its original shaggy look with his hair being no longer than the nape of his neck. She also revealed his creamy skin.

He averted his eyes away as they changed grimacing at her. "I don't like seeing people in the eye anyways. It makes me uncomfortable, the looks they give me."

Aerith sighed sadly and heavily and sat next to the boy who now ignored her and went back to drawing with his black pen. Glancing over his shoulder, Aerith watched the picture that the boy drew.

"Who is this?" she asked pointing one of her slender fingers to the person who stood in the middle of the page.

Slowly, he stopped drawing and sighed himself. "I don't know," he sighed looking at the picture he'd been so intent on drawing since the early morning. The picture he had drawn today was no different than the others. His dreams always depicted one person or another. He never knew who it was. He didn't know whether it was the same person or different ones that he drew every different time. All he knew was that he never saw their faces. Unless he knew who they were personally, faces were always masked by darkness in his dreams. "I never know." With that he continued to finish the drawing he'd begun.

He finished by drawing the dark coat that hung over the person. They stood overlooking over what he discerned to be a balcony and all was white but their coated shape that stood with their back to him.

"Mmm," she said grabbing him by the shoulder. "Would you mind going grocery shopping for me when you're finished? Breakfast should be prepared soon. Aren't you hungry?"

Her nonchalant questions were ignored by the youth who simply closed his notebook and pen and tucked them back into his black satchel. "What am I buying?" he asked coldly and aloof.

Aerith tried to let this go for the moment and gave him a list, "You'll find everything in the market place, like always."

He nodded and he headed towards the main door. Before exiting, though, he pulled his hood over his head again, hiding his face. And only afterwards did he leave to go do the errands given to him.

"My, my, the boy is still giving the cold-shoulder, is he?"

"Merlin." Aerith turned to the magician that had lend them his house as their new headquarters. She simply glanced away with a grim look in her face. "He hasn't given any sign of changing ever since we found him."

"Well, it is only predictable that the boy is so cold to others," Merlin explained sitting down and summoning a tea cup and tea to drink for the morning. "After all, you all found him while exploring as far as you could go near the castle. It's quite sad that the boy cannot remember anything of what transpired before he was found."

"Maybe that's why he's so distant with us," Aerith said turning to face the wise wizard.

Merlin lifted his finger to intervene, "You have to take into account of the powers he holds, dear. I can feel their overwhelming force upon the boy. Without him knowing how to control them, they seem to be engulfing him whole."

"You're wise in the ways of magic. Is there anyway to help him with those nightmares he has?" Aerith asked concerned for the boy's well being.

"Unfortunately, I cannot help the boy with what haunts him. When you found him and I healed his wounds, I noticed that a very dark entity had latched itself onto him. I believe this is what haunts his dreams. However, I can't say for sure that this is the source of his overwhelming powers."

"Poor Haru," Aerith said with a heavy sigh. "He must be suffering so much."

"Mmm?" Merlin's sudden questioning noise made Aerith glance over at him. In his hands he held a crumpled piece of paper that had been drawn on.

"Is that one of Haru's drawings?" Aerith asked coming closer to glance at it.

"It appears to be," he said as he examined the child's drawing and stroke his long beard. "And is it just me or are these three familiar?"

"I want to say they do but..." Aerith took the drawing that Merlin then handed her and stared at it intently but couldn't decipher just who these three were. She placed it aside among her things and sighed, "We'll see just how he goes on for now. He can't be like this forever."

"Whatever haunts him though will take time to heal," Merlin said thoughtfully. "And most of all an understanding and loving hand to nurture him."

Haru stood in the bright outdoors just outside Merlin's house. The bright sun hitting his eyes hurt him and made him bloke the sunlight for a bit away from them. Once adjusted to the brightness of the outside, he headed towards the market place where more than likely was where Leon and Yuffie had gone to that same morning like every day.

He reached the entrance of the place and stopped only to pull his hood lower so that they veiled his eyes. Walking past people without a word or sound and quickly heading towards the usual vendor, Haru simply reached out and gave him the note of everything that Aerith had asked of him. The man, quite use to the boy's quiet demeanor, simply got going on getting the order ready to be taken. Now came the part that Haru hated: waiting.

Oh how he hated to be out in the public were the curious eyes wondered. He hated them because if they saw him two things would happen. Either they stared at him in amazement or simply grunt and glare in disgust of his scarlet orbs. The latter was mostly what happened. He'd grown used to ignoring the stares but insults were still clearly heard by his ears.

He had wondered in the beginning how so much hatred could be produced by simply glancing at somebody's eyes. But he'd also grown used to ignoring the questions he knew had no answers.

"Here ya go, kid!" the vendor called to him. Haru simply handed the munny to him and grabbed his groceries. Moving quickly through the crowd he didn't notice the Heartless that had suddenly appeared.

He gasped as one of them appeared before him and glanced at him with those big, round yellow orbs. It immediately jumped at seeing him making Haru cringe and cover his head.

"Watch out!"

Seconds after he heard the familiar female cry, he ducked instinctively and heard the Heartless burst into nothing. He opened his eyes to find Yuffie glance down at him and smile while carrying her grand shuriken.

"Rare to see you out and about, Haruka!" she exclaimed, he smile getting bigger. "What gives?"

"G-groceries," he lowly mumble keeping his sight downward as he picked himself and the groceries up.

"Yuffie!" Leon's voice came to both of them making them turn towards a rooftop. "How about helping me!"

"Oops~" she said playfully and went over to aid her comrade.

Haru simply stayed where he was to wait for the two. If more Heartless were to appear he had no way to protect himself. It'd be in his best interest to wait for them so they could keep him out of trouble. He cared for the people because they took care of him but most of the time he looked out for his own well fare.

"Haru," Leon called as the two walked over to him while he carried the bag of rice balls that a civilian had given them for saving them. Haru lifted the bag he held. "Breakfast?"

"I can see you guys have your hands full as well," Haru said in a mumble.

"You should go back to Merlin's, Haruka," Yuffie said concerned. "It's saver there."

"Aerith keeps wanting me to go for the groceries for food. Talk to her about that," Haru said as he kept on the aloof expression. The two started contemplating the idea of peace and how they'd fight for it until they didn't have to anymore. A sudden alarm went off that Haru knew too well. One of the two ways to wake him up in the middle of the night were either his nightmares or the distinctive alarms of Claymore.

"Oh no, not again," Yuffie called and started walking off. "I'll take care of it!"

"Looks like peace is still a long way. Actually a long, long way off," Leon sighed and turned to Haru. "Let's head back for now, shall we?"

Haru only nodded still keeping his sight on the floor. Yeah, in his eyes peace was never going to come. At least not to him.

Once back at Merlin's house, Haru left the groceries he had gone to get at the kitchen with Aerith and quickly left to his room. He didn't have time for this things. He went up to his closet and changes clothes. He kept his bright blue, short-sleeved jacket but underneath it he had a sleeveless turtleneck and a long sleeve over it. Both were a solid black color. He kept his white cargo shorts and his brown tennis shoes. He grabbed his satchel with his notebook and pens and was meaning to head out to go sketch or something when he suddenly heard a ruckus from outside his room.

Curiosity winning over him, he peaked out to see Yuffie cheering at the top of her lungs as she announced the arrival of someone. Haru, having only lived there but some months, thought that they were only other friends of theirs that he hadn't met. But as soon as the trio crossed the door into his field of view his eyes went wide and his mouth slacked open.

A duck with blue vestments of white feathering.

A dog with a green shirt with a black vest over and orange pants.

A boy with a black and colorful attire and spiky brown hair. And that cheerful smile plastered on his face.

There was no mistaken it. Those three...Haruka had dreamed of them before in his nightmares. He remembered that nightmare. The boy and his two companions stood with him in that dark city of his dreams. The one were only a heart-shaped moon was and skyscrapers stood almost reaching the night sky. They had been ambushed and the boy fought against another. A hooded figure. They fought amongst themselves atop a colorful platform. And he remembered well the outcome of that fight.

The horrendous end of it had made him startle awake in terror.

Leon and the others talked to them as if they hadn't seen the three for a long time. So they knew. He'd drawn a picture of them. That nightmare had been the most vivid of all so far which was why when he even attempted to color in the picture he'd drawn he had ended up crumpling the paper and tossing it aside.

He had completely zoned out while they became reacquainted and only heard Leon speak up. "We've got a problem. A big problem."

"Sounds like you could use our help," Sora, how Yuffie had introduced the boy, announced gleefully.

"Then let's to chase. Sora, Donald, Goofy. We were hoping you guys could gives us a hand around here," Leon posed to them.

"Like we're gonna say no."

Leon scoffed, "I forgot who I was dealing with." He walked over to the door, opened them and turned to them. "Follow me to the bailey. There's something you need to see." Just then Merlin came about and stalled them for a bit. Haru ignored the rest of the conversation as he went back inside his room and shut the door.

Those three. He was sure they were the ones he'd dreamed about even when he didn't see their faces in his dreams. He needed to talk to them. He needed answers as to why he was dreaming of people he didn't know.

Big problem. Leon must have been talking about the Heartless and Nobodies that were pooling around the castle at the outskirts of town. And he'd summoned them to the bailey where one could overlook that castle. Usually that's the place where he went to calm down and draw out. He knew his way there but if he went down the front door, Aerith would stop him. He couldn't risk not being let out anymore.

He turned to his window and saw no other choice. He opened his window and quickly went escaped through there not bothering to close it. Running around towards the bailey, he finally reached it after going around town so that nobody would see him. It was a longer way than cutting through but he didn't want to get caught by Leon either. It may have taken longer but it was a safer bet. But when he reached the entrance he noticed that it was tightly shut. He'd never seen them closed. On the other side he could see Leon and Sora fighting against Nobodies. Determined to talk to him he looked for another way around.

Finally he saw that the wall just to the right could be climbed with some effort. Putting his satchel to face back, he went on and started his way to the other side.

He wasn't about to let his only lead to a past he couldn't remember slip away.

* * *

"This is..."

"Hollow Bastion," Rinto said speaking in my head as we landed in the back alleys of the town. Getting my armor off, I headed out of the alley and looked around at the rare sight I never saw before in this place.

"A market place?"

"It seems that it's evolved from the last time you visited it," Rinto pointed out. It seemed that just like she could hear the outside through me, she could also see my past experiences. The only thing she couldn't seem to do was see through me.

My gaze and attention shifted from her onto the shops and people navigating through the place. Young or old they came and shopped here for their food. Some even bought from the weapons shops. I neared the Accessory Shop and was welcomed by a little cute duckling with a turtleneck and baseball cap of red color.

"Howdy there!" he called enthusiastically. I waved at him and went on looking at the stuff he sold. "Name's Huey. If you see anything you like just say the word." In the end the sales, plus just how plainly adorable he looked, got me to buy a couple of anklets and a bangle for defense, both magical and general plus a bag that strapped to my hips to store things.

"Your total magic resistance has increase by a percentage of 20. Currently, your most resistance defense now is against fire," Rinto read to me the vitals she felt from my body plus the adding of the accessories.

"Thanks, Rinto," I mumbled to myself for only her to hear and headed on to the Weapon Shop. Curiously enough another duckling was in charge that looked exactly like the one from the Accessory Shop except for his clothing was a bright green.

"Afternoon, miss!" he said as enthusiastically as the first. "Looking for anything specific?" I told him I just was looking until I saw a pistol that reminded me much of the ones that I had lost at Castle Oblivion.

"How much for that one?" I asked pointing at it.

"Oh that? It's broken miss. I don't you'd wanna buy that one," the duckling explained to me holding it out. From up close I could see the damages he was speaking of. Those, however, weren't as bad as the ones my original pistols had. I gave another glance at the store and the things it sold before deciding for it. I had plenty of money from the amount of Heartless I had defeated up till now. I knew this munny would come in handy one day. I bought the pistol and to restore it I also bought a couple of pieces that he had laying around in the shop. I also bought a set of butterfly knives that could be helpful later. The duckling, Louie he said was his name, said that if I wanted help with weapon synthesis that I could ask the Moogles that had their own shops opened around worlds.

I thanks him for the items and information and headed off. An instant later I started hearing a disturbance. People were screaming on the other side of the market. Jumping over ledges, I reached to find a young women struggling to take her child away from the creature. I instantly took out Ares and tapped it down twice as it extended along with its spikes. Jumping ahead, I slash forth and rid the women of the Heartless that was tugging at her leg. I turn to her quickly, "Run!"

"Thank you!" I hear her cry as she sprints away leaving me with the hoard of Heartless that suddenly appeared from the shadows.

"Great," I mumble under my breath as two jump to attack me. I raise Ares to strike them aside but am beat by a small pillar of light striking both from underneath. The rest seem to get attacked by the same thing that attack the two who had threatened me. They didn't disappear until many hits but I was grateful that I didn't have to waste my time with them. "Who called the bingo cession on?" I mumble under my breath as I shrink Ares back.

Glancing around I seem to have ended in some of the alleyways that I had come from earlier. The houses and market place were all to my right and were at a lower altitude that where I stood now. To my left stood a fence that parted the city from the outside mountains and canyons. The only way I could go that I hadn't gone yet was forward where a lone entrance stood. I tried straining my eyesight to see what stretched past it but I was more blind than a mole.

"There is a ledge up ahead to the side of the entrance," Rinto explained in my head as I listened. "You should be able to see a small opening on the bottom in a corner. It'll lead you to the other side of the wall were the Bailey stands."

"How'd you know that?" I ask tilting my head to the left.

"I am implemented to quickly scan and interpret your surroundings to further employ them. I happened to notice it while you fought the Heartless."

Her explanation seemed simple enough but it bothered me. Nonetheless I followed her instructions and just like she said I found a small crawling space that would allow me passage without having to go through the main entrance. I needed to be cautious while wondering worlds were Sora would be. I could not be found by him.

Not yet. Without a second thought I crawled carefully through the hole and came out. I found myself on the lower portion apparently. I saw sets of small stairs that zigzagged a bit upward towards the entrance I had avoided to use. I stood where it ended. If I went up, took a right then a left I would be in the Bailey. Behind me and a bit to the right was a great wall that stood over the Bailey and in between both was a straight passage to goodness knew where. I stood close to the edge of the wall were I wouldn't be able to be seen from above. I pulled my hood over my head to conceal my face and wore my hiding mask to make sure no one noticed my presence.

After a few minutes of just waiting I began hearing nearby shouts and cheers. I turned my head upward from where the noise was coming. It really was noisy. Muffled voices seemed to be coming from inside of the Bailey. One in particular sounded familiarly annoying. I smirked when I recognized that chirpy voice that had certainly dropped the octave it needed over the year span.

"Welcome back...Sora," I mumbled looking up.

"Where does your confidence come from..."

I was as baffled as I was appalled at hearing that deep baritone and monotone voice that I hadn't heard in over a month. How did he find him?

"Brave one chosen by the Keyblade."

I clicked my tongue as I watched from where I was as Xemnas and the remaining members appeared atop the wall that overlooked the Bailey. I couldn't say a word or move. If Sora was not in immediate danger then I couldn't show my presence. Not just because Yen Sid asked me not to but because if I did I knew my head would roll if they caught sight of me.

I was a pariah among them. Xemnas tried to kill me once. I wasn't about to let him try to strike me out again.

"Organization XIII!?" Sora exclaimed in surprise.

Good. Yen Sid had given him every information I had to give. At least he knew what he was going up against. I glanced upward to were they stood. Suddenly I gasped as I recounted. Six? If I remembered correctly they should be seven left. Who could be missing? As I thought this through I had missed most of their conversation until he summoned the Dusks. I saw as Sora easily beat them down but just then Xemnas snapped his fingers as more appeared. I clenched my teeth and balled my hands in fists. I felt worthless just standing here and watching. But...I trust he can beat them. He may be weak after a year but he can hold his ground.

"And if not..." she mumbled to herself as her left hand hovered perilously over Ares' holster.

But before long Sora and the rest of the group had dealt with the Nobodies albeit they were exhausted from the fight. I still stood ready to fight if Xemnas had the sadistic idea of sending more his way.

"So!?" he bellowed while panting and holding the Keyblade firm in his hands. "Who's next so we can settle this?!"

"What a shame," Xemnas deep voice boomed across the field. "And here I thought we could be friends." All at once they disappeared and left Sora to himself. At least that's what I thought until another dark corridor opened and out came one of them. I couldn't really distinguish any of them if they had their hoods up. This one was just up the second ramp of stairs right in the middle of Sora and where they had to turn left to reach me below at the foot of the stairs. I had to be careful or they would notice me. Then I heard his voice when he spoke to Donald.

"Oopsy-daisy."

Only Xigbar used such kiddie talk. I took small steps up the stairs and crept up just to turn left. All the while I was listening to what Xigbar told Sora. He had said something about Sora looking at him the same way 'he' used to. I clicked my tongue at his sick humor. Bastard was talking about Roxas. I had my hand on Ares just in case he decided to attack him but wad distracted when I heard rustling to my left. I turned to see a young boy of ruffled dark brown hair jump over the wall and land just a few feet away from Xigbar.

Unfortunately for the kid Xigbar had noticed his noisy entrance. He looked over his shoulder and he did something I didn't expect in this situation. He laughed. He found the kid's appearance amusing for some reason.

"Look-a who we've got here!" he called turning so that he could see Sora from his peripheral vision but took his full attention to the boy. "If it isn't the 'young master'!"

"A boy?" Donald quacked confused.

Suddenly the man who was with Sora came around and was baffled at seeing the boy here. "Haruka, run!"

A little bell at the back of my head rang and it annoyed me. At hearing that name something sparked in it. I saw as the boy stood his ground with a grimace on his face and, if I wasn't mistaken, a bit of bafflement on his sharp green eyes.

"Guess you're just too stubborn, aren't ya?" he said snapping his fingers as Dusks appeared surrounding him. "We'll have our fun figuring how you got out alive."

"Stop it!" Sora bellowed but more Dusks had appeared to counter his interference.

Nobody would reach the boy in time.

He'd be taken.

Damn my conscious.

I pulled Ares out and swiftly stabbed and stroke all Dusks making them vanish. I ended up just behind the boy. He glared up at me long enough to tell me he didn't trust me but it wasn't like he hand a choice.

"Well, we're having a bunch of surprises today, aren't we?" he said and without his saying a dozen of his Snipers appeared. "I'll get both of ya while I'm at it."

Without a word any, I held onto the boy with one arm and summoned a corridor or darkness behind me. I slipped through and having no other choice but to take him with me.

Once inside, I had to hurry to lose the Snipers that were surely on my tail but the boy decided just now to begin struggling.

"Let go of me!" he screamed and clawed at my bare left arm. I winced as his nails dug into my skin but didn't let go. If I did, his heart would be eaten away by the darkness. For now getting away somewhere safe and surviving was important. And safe right now was away from Hollow Bastion. Without a second thought I hit the armor and summoned it. What I didn't expected was for it to also envelope the kid. He was dressed now in an armor like mine yet simpler and of black, gray bright blue colors. I didn't dwell much on it for the Snipers had appeared before us.

I quickly got my motorcycle and climbed on it while putting the kid in between myself and the handles. The Snipers were rapidly approaching and shooting away at us.

"Hold on!" I yell at him and he listens for once as I blasts us off and away from them in light speed. Soon we were out of range and safe for now. They'd be pursuing us now and surely Xigbar would tell Xemnas that he'd spotted me.

Great. Just fantastic.

"Let me out of this!" the boy had suddenly regained his voice back and started fighting to get out.

"Can't you see you can't!" I yell trying to hold him still and drive at the same time.

Apparently, multitasking was not my thing. I couldn't wrangle both and soon I lost control of it. We spun downward but I had driven far enough that we actually were close to some other world. I felt the corridor open and land on us on something. All I felt was soft and cold before I passed out.

* * *

_**How was it? Took some time but I'm in finals right now. I did this because I needed to unwind. **_

_**Hoped you liked it! :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello again! :D It's finally winter break for me so I'm gonna start doing some thing's hopefully a good update or two would be good for me right now :3**_

_**Thanks to Antex - The Legendary Zoroark for the review. Love them and thanks to everybody else who reads this story as well! :D**_

_**So let's start since I've been wanting to write for sometime now! xD**_

* * *

**The Fourth Mask: Premonition **

* * *

My head spun as consciousness finally fell upon me. And it fell hard. Looking up, I took in the scene of the bright sundown as it went down the horizon. For a minute there I had confused it for Twilight Town's sunset but this one was way too cold to be there. I glance beneath me and see the thick white blanket of snow that had broken our landing.

Our...

"Shit," I mumble under my bed as I stand up making my feet sink into the couple of feet deep snow. My arm and legs felt numb. Basically since they were the only skin exposed to the snow that actually had direct contact. I rub the back of my neck as I search about for the snarky brat that landed us here.

That's when I spot a couple of feet peaking from the snowy blanket. Both stuck out kicking which in my opinion was hilarious. Made my day, actually. I spent a full second amusing over it but then my conscious kicked in telling me to get him the heck out of there before he suffocated. Damn my conscious.

Coming closer I grabbed a hold of his leg and swiftly pull him out throwing him onto another pile of snow, safe and sound.

"Get up, twerp," I call standing a few feet from him with a grimace on my face. "We need to find somewhere to sleep."

"Ha!" he scoffed with a grin. "Like hell am I going with you, you old coot!"

Old coot!? I needed to keep my calm before this brat's attitude made me commit an across-world homicide. Why would I care, anyway? No one would ever find him here.

"We must not harm him, Master," Rinto called inside my head. "He belongs to another world and exterminating his existence would upset the balance of these worlds."

I sigh and massage my temple with my left hand. "You're telling me that it's a no-no to leave him here to freeze?"

"What?!" he bellowed both startled and confused at my sudden outburst.

"Affirmative," she responded. "The only resolve to liberating yourself of him is to return him to the world from whence he came." I sigh heavily once more as I rethink my possibilities. "Master, there is no thinking it over. We cannot harm the young male. He must be returned unharmed in order to upkeep the balance."

"I heard you the first time around. I'm not deaf," I growl out with a grouch.

"Apparently not," I turn down to see the snarky boy standing before me with his arms crossed. "I've been asking you who the heck you're talking to for the last two minutes and you've just kept quiet while still talking to that little voice in your head. You know, some people call those delusions, Oba-san."

"Oba-"

"He just referred to you as an 'old woman'. In the slang of your people, I believe it does mean he referred to you as an 'old hag', 'decrepit woman' -"

"I know what he meant!" I bellow shutting both up from speaking. I glance down at him and stare right at the glare he gives me back, "And you, little brat, even if you don't like it I'm in charge of you for as long as you're with me. I can't just leave you be in a world you don't even know. It's against the rules I play. Against my damn conscious is besides the point too."

"What?" he quirk up not getting a bit of what I was saying.

"What I mean is that until I get you back to Hollow Bastion then I'm in charge of you. If you like it or not, it doesn't matter and I really don't care. I have stuff to do besides babysitting you and that's-"

Babysitting another...

I really need to charge more for the jobs I do.

"So, in short, you have to listen to what I tell you. Either that or you die here either by frostbite or by Heartless. You're choice bud," I call as I start heading towards a cave's opening. The was setting really slowly which would give me enough time to go look for some wood to burn for the night.

"Like crazy am I following you around," he said with a scoff. "You abducted me from there."

That did it. I scoffed back and turned to him with a hand on my hip and a grimace on my face. "**I** abducted you?! Puh-lease. I wouldn't have done it had my life depended on it. If you didn't notice, that man in the black hood would have killed you off had I not saved you! You actually owe me a thank you, you ungrateful brat."

He opened his mouth to reproach as he lifted his finger to make, well, the point but soon realized that he had no valid comeback. I grin widely knowing I've won this round. However, he pouted and let his finger fall. "You still abducted me. By the way you dress Leon and the others will think you're one of them. So technically you did take me away from them."

I turned stoic while he plastered a small smirk on his face.

Smart-ass.

"He is right, Master."

I know he is, I tell her in my mind. Have I said that aloud, I wouldn't hear the end of it from the brat. I turn to the boy and tell him, "See that cave over there?" I pointed at the one I've seen earlier. "Get over there and scout it out. There shouldn't be anything there, not even Heartless. I'm going for some wood to start a fire for the night."

"The night?" he asked bewildered.

"Yeah," I say rather sardonically. "Unless you wanna use the snow to sleep on which I doubt. We need to shelter ourselves."

"What about a hotel or something?"

I sigh trying to keep my patience with the little snot. "That would be a great idea! If you would want to walk down a hazardous snow mountain. I mean the below zero temperatures aren't so bad, right? Then again I guess the wild Heartless that roam much more at night wouldn't be any worse. I guess we should tread down the mountain and freeze ourselves to death with no food or water." I tap my chin sarcastically thinking about it, "Yep, sounds logical to me."

He scowls as he turns to go to the cave, "I'm going then." I smirk at his back before I hear him say under his breath, "Damn, oba-san." The smirk fell from my face as soon as I heard that.

"I'm not old," I call under my breath as I scout out for wood with Ares under the snow. "Am I?" I stop suddenly leaning on it while thinking my life over.

"You are sixteen years of age, Master. You are in your prime physically and are on the way to reaching your adulthood maturity mentally. You are in the best shape you could be."

"Yeah, but..." I sigh giving up on it. I scavenge out for wood and find plenty and start heading for the cave. Unfortunately, the boy was still alive. I had lied to him about it being secure. I would have guessed some Heartless had gotten to him but alas I wasn't so lucky. I toss the pile of wood in the center of cave. I glance at him from his place on a far corner as from the entrance as possible.

I pile the wood properly and try to start a fire the old fashioned way. By rubbing a stick on another. I keep trying but the bursts of wind keep blowing it out. It kept like that for about twenty minutes before I hear an exasperated grunt.

I turn to see the boy stand from his place and squat before my pile of wood. He makes some gestures with his hands before a bright, red symbols begin to form around it. Soon a circle is in the palm of his hand and from it spurts a single flame. He tosses it into the pile that quickly ignites givings us the warmth I've tried so hard to create. He goes back to his sit a few feet away from the fire as he warms himself up. I follow him with my eyes as I take my sit a few feet away from him and closer to the flames and the exit. After a few minutes I get him uncomfortable enough for him to speak out his uneasiness.

"Take a picture, it'll last you longer," he said not taking his eyes from the fire. I could see them dance in his eyes making them almost look red.

"You know how to use magic?" I simply ask him nonchalantly glancing at him.

He gives me a double take before he answers me. "I...kinda read some of the scrolls that the old wizard Merlin had. Magic seems to be something that I'm good at."

"You've lived there long?"

"Not really."

"Mm," I mumble back as I stare at the fire. I could feel my eyes burning ebbing away. Because he wasn't really expecting much of me, there was not really that much of a need for me to lie to him. I could say I was at ease even to some level. "I guess you are better at something than me, boy." For a few seconds I hear nothing but the cracking of the wood under the fire's temperature until I hear him speak three syllables.

"Haruka."

I turn to him with a stoic mask but baffled in the inside. He just spoke to me on his own. Hell just froze over. Oh no wait that's just the outside taking a toll on my legs. He stared at the ground with his emerald eyes and from time to time he would glance up at me to make sure I was looking at him. "My name. It's Haruka but most just call me Haru."

Haru...huh? It sounded sorta familiar. I shake the thought out of my mind and smile a bit. "Mine's Ayano. Just call me Aya, though. We're stuck with each other until I can take you back to your home so don't give me any trouble sport."

He scoffed and laid down on his side to sleep. I heard again from under his breath, "Whatever, Oba-san."

I chuckle a bit under my breath as I go back to staring at the fire. I try to nod off a bit to safe energy but out of nowhere I feel the high jolt of energy that coursed through both my arms and a little on the top of my chest. I grip my left shoulder in pain as my blurriness goes away. I feel the burning sensation on my eyes intensify as I close my eyes to alleviate the feeling.

Rinto, what are the numbers looking like?

"The energy has begun to spread across both your arms," Rinto told me. "It seems that although it got slower due to the armor it still is going at an amazing speed."

"How much longer do I have?" I whisper lowly.

"It is unpredictable, Master."

"Technically speaking," I grunt at her still whispering.

She remained quiet for a second before answering, "About nine months."

Nine months...

"Shit!" I growl a bit too loud and hear some rustling a few feet away from me. I glance toward where Haru sleeps and see him shuffling a bit. Suddenly he shuffled again and started suddenly shivering.

He must be cold. In his attempt to get as far away from me, he got a bit too far from the fire to receive its warmth. I sigh and stand up as I take off my coat. I take a few steps toward the boy and place it over him and walk away to sit close to the fire again. I watch it again as I slowly drift to sleep.

* * *

**_"Is this for me?"_**

_"Yes. I made it for you. You said you were going to leave again so I made it. It's a promise that you'll return to us safely like you always you do."_

**_"Thanks, Aya. I love it. And don't worry, I'll return to you all. I promise you that."_ **

My eyes shut open as the voices ring inside my head. Who...who the heck was I talking to? I stand up quickly and notice my coat falling from its place. Wait...my coat? I glance down and see it on the floor. I scowl confused and pick it up. It's been covering me from the cold. But last night I'd given it to the brat. At him, I turn to my side and am surprised at not seeing the midget where he had fallen asleep.

Putting my coat on and walking out, I find him outside throwing snowballs randomly in the air. One he throws while the second he throws at the first. Most of them he misses but once in a while he gets his target in midair. I scoff as how childish a game he's playing.

I pick up a bit of snow myself and form it when he throws one in the air. He follows suit and throws another at it but misses. Before it starts going down I aim and throw my own and hit it square on making it undo itself and snow on him. Immediately he turns to find me there.

"Morning, sport."

"I thought you weren't gonna wake up," he said going back to throwing more snowballs.

Ain't he the chatty one. I put that thought aside as I come up closer to him. "Come on, we gotta keep moving."

"Moving? Where to now?" he said turning to me fully now with a frown on his face. "There's nothing else up but snow."

I crook my finger his way for him to follow me. With a furrowed brow he does and I lead him a bit downward towards a cleared path that was left. "You see those?" I call once we were in view of them. Not far from them we could easily spot a small pile of Chinese militia canons with dragon heads mounting one end. Near them was a cart that more than likely held more.

He skidded toward them as I followed walking behind him. He neared them and reached out. "I wouldn't do that is I were you."

"Why the heck not?" he asked condescendingly. My vein pops a bit at his snarky attitude but I ignore it or at least try to.

"They're canons, smart one." He retracts his hand immediately and steps back a few steps. With his face still in a frown he called to me, "So what do these have to do with where we're headed?"

"Those are militia canons," I explain to him as I walk past him while following the path clearly marked by others previously passing through. "They were man made. They were placed here as supplies. They wouldn't put supplies so far ahead had they not a place to return to close by." He seems to understand for he follows behind me quite fast. In a few minutes we're almost at the foot of the mountain. As I walk ahead I see what I had predicted. I knock him on the shoulder to get his attention and point ahead where a small village stood. "See? What did I tell ya?"

"Is that a village?" he asks me as we start reaching the entrance to it.

"Seems so," I say as we arrive at the entrance. Not many people are out and about but out of the few I manage to stop one worker. "Excuse me? Is there any lodging or tavern close by?" Nicely, the gent points us to a small inn. I book us in to, luckily, the only room they had.

I take one bed, the one closest to the window, while he takes the one closest to the door and across the bathroom. I took my shoulder piece off and examine it. It'd been bothering me lately.

"Rin, can you tell me if this thing is okay?" I mumble so that Haru can't hear.

"Will do Master," she answers. "Please, give me a minute." I turn to the boy who now is rummaging through a handbag I hadn't noticed he had.

"Where'd you get that?" I inquire confused.

"I had it with me when you abducted me from Hollow Bastion," he simply answered. He wasn't about to let the abduction thing go, was he?

"Master?"

"Yeah," I say in my head not wanting for the kid to think I'm crazy.

"It seems that the emergency landing caused a bit of a disturbance to the system of the armor. It is an easy fix but you do not have the correct pieces to mend it," she explains.

"I saw a moogle outside. They always have stuff handy. I'll check 'im out."

"It is wise you do. Without the armor we cannot travel, otherwise," she puts out flatly. She tells me like I don't know this. I turn to Haru and sigh, "You should go take a shower to warm yourself up. It was colder outside than we thought and we're not really clothed for the season. We need to take care of ourselves however we can."

"Where are you going that you want to get rid of me so fast?" he asked. Damn, besides a midget his intuitive too. His kind of people are annoying to deal with.

"Thanks to you making us crash land in this place my armor got a bit damaged. I gotta go look for something to fix it." I button my coat on completely to keep out the cold air from outside from me, "Stay here and warm up. I won't be long."

"Fine," he groans as he takes his handbag with him into the bathroom. I grimace at how childish he acted when he did that. I wasn't about to go looking through his stuff. I didn't even care for the brat. I scoff at him before going out. Outside I meet up with the moogle that was selling all sorts of stuff. These little creatures are useful when needed. I buy the parts and end up buying other things that interested me. One was a single pistol. Single, long barrel with a powerful hit.

"What type is this?" I had asked the moogle.

"A Desert Eagle-kupo. It goes off with a powerful boom but has very low magic affinity-kupo," he explained.

"I see." Easy for me to use but I'd have to get use to the power and the rebound.

"This one has less power but is extremely powerful with magic-kupo," he said handing a small pistol.

In the end I bought both plus one other thing I thought would be useful. I go by some other stores and buy some food for us. Right there I spent more than three-quarters of my munny but then again I was a very big fan of buying guns among other weaponry.

I get there almost by noon and find the boy sitting on the bed against the bed rest and with a notepad and pen as he drew vigorously on it. Not even when I come in those he look up. I could have been a kidnapper for all he knew but he didn't seem to give a damn. I come up to the foot of his bed and let the bag of groceries fall hard on it. Only then does he raise his head startled.

"I didn't see you come in," he says quickly closing his notepad and putting the pen away in his handy handbag.

"Obviously," I remark sarcastically with a droll look as I start taking my coat off. "What was that you were doing?"

"What?" he asks taking an apple from the bag and biting down on it.

"Were you drawing on that notepad?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replies with his mouth full. I knock him upside the head for that. "Hey!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I reproach as I start walking up to my bed as I place on it the bag with the weaponry I bought. I leave the pistols and extra pieces inside as I take out one single scroll rolled up. "Hey, kid," he turns at my call with the apple in his mouth. "Catch," I warn as I toss the scroll his way. He scrambles to catch barely keeping his apple in his mouth.

"What the he-"

I glare at him before he can finish that sentence with the apple still stuck in his teeth. He glares back but swallows before continuing. "What's this for?"

"It's a magic spell," I answer his question as he begins unraveling it and reading it. "You said you're good at magic. I, as much as it hurts my ego to say this, suck utterly at it. So if you want to be even if muscularly helpful without getting in my way you should learn it."

"This is a Cure spell," he announces a bit baffled by me giving it to him. "It's a high level spell. I've barely learnt Fire and Blizzard."

"Hey, it's as good a start as any, right?" I called masked behind a cheerful expression as I clasp my hands. "Try to figure it out while I take a shower, alright sport?"

"How am I suppose to-" the rest of his words are muffled by the door and are silenced completely when I turn on the shower.

I needed to think right now. I landed here but we still had no idea where 'here' was exactly. I'd asked around but most people say we were in China, wherever that was. The moogles are inter-world merchants so they knew more. Fortunately one did but it wasn't much. He just told me that we where in the Land of Dragons. I didn't know where that was and even if Sora was here.

"The young boy is here, Master."

"Are you sure?" I question taking advantage of the loudness of the shower to let me speak aloud to her.

"Yes," she repeats and just then I feel another jolt of energy lash onto me this time on my back. I scowl and let the ice cold water purge away the pain of the burning energy. "Your bracelet is responding to very signals that are in the proximity of this world. This means that the matching necklace must be somewhere be it close by or somewhat far but most definitely withing this world."

"This bracelet-necklace thing she came up with is damn accurate, isn't it?" I mumbled to myself.

"It is exactly 86% accurate, yes," she responds to my question. I scoff at how obligated she feels to answer my every beck and call.

"Well, as long as Mr. Smiles and Sunshine is here I'm on a good track. I can't go around losing him just yet," I say as I turn off the shower and dry off. I come out with my shorts and shirt as I dry out my hair with the towel. As I come out I see Haru yet again with that notepad and pen scribbling on like a madman. I thought at first he was drawing again but when I saw the scroll beside him and he going back to look at it from time to time I figured he was trying to figure it out.

I chuckle and ignore his crazy habits. I hang my clothes and go straight to my bed as I try to go on ahead and fix my armor from the loose screws that it had. While doing so Rinto, who seems to know of it for some reason, guides me through what I have to do and teaches me about it. We went on for about three hours, Rinto and I fixing my armor and Haru trying to figure out the Cure spell.

It was six when I had looked up from the piece of armor to the clock. "Damn," I sigh as I go back to it and tighten the last screws I needed.

"Examine it now," I ask of Rinto as she scans it again through my hands.

"It is complete, Master. Your armor is now fully recuperated and ready for normal usage again."

I'm finally done. I sigh and put the pieces and equipment aside as I lay down a bit to rest.

"I get it now," I turn my head at the sport's sudden burst. I see him scribbling something in his notepad before he nods to himself and reads the scroll again. "Yeah, I get it!"

"You understand it?" I call out to him as he turns to look at me with a triumphant smile. He gets up and goes around to my bed to where I am. I sit up as he takes my hands that are all scratched, dirty and calloused by working on the armor.

Suddenly, his brow furrows as if he's concentrating and then mutters, "Cure." A few seconds later as if in response, a greenish glow appears on my hand where his touch me and I feel as a slight bit of pain comes across me. But it is quickly switched with ease as the pain goes away. I look to down to see my hands free of bruises and scratches and the pain from before all gone. I take my hands away from his as I stretch my fingers out and notice just how much better they feel now.

"You've got it down good enough, I suppose," I appreciate with a smirk.

A small smile started quirking in his lips before he caught himself and pouted while averting his gaze some other way. "It got easy after deciphering it all. It's not as good as it could be." With that he went back to his own bed as I stared at my hands in marvel.

"Still," I call out popping my wrists before going back to taking my stuff off the bed to sleep. "It's pretty good for a starter magician like yourself."

"Whatever," he answered and slipped under his covers to go to sleep. I simply turned off the lights for him and went to my own bed but didn't sleep.

"Is something the matter, Master?"

I heard Rinto calling me but before answering her I listened for any sign that Haru had gone to sleep. When I heard nothing but his slow, paced breathing I decided to answer her aloud.

"Nothing in particular."

"But something is," she added.

I signed while leaning against the window that showed a perfect view to the mountains covered in snow. "I can't pinpoint exactly what it is. You know, forget it for now. If I have any questions I'll come to you. You seem to know everything after all."

"I do not, Master. The only reason I seem that way to you is because of how clouded your vision is," she answered me before going quiet again. I felt her move from my shoulder to rest over my heart. I don't know why but she got the habit to rest there when I went to sleep. I didn't mind either. It somehow gave me a sense of warmth.

"Good night, Rinto," I simply murmur as I lay down on the bed trying to not let the nightmares hunt me.

* * *

"Master! Master, wake up!"

I'm startled awake by Rinto's loud bellows in my head. I literally fall off the bed from how off guard her screams got me.

"Master, please come to your senses!"

"I'm awake! Goddamnit!" I yell out loud without thinking.

"What's all the yelling for?" Haru groggily says as he rubs his eyes.

"You must hurry!" she warned quickly as if continuing her message. "Intruders! They're attacking the village!"

"What?" I bellow and run to the window to open it up. Beyond it I could see that the houses closer to the southern gate had been attacked and were being burnt down. People were running amok as they tried to save themselves and their families. "Shit! Get up, brat!" I yell at him as I pull on my coat and shoulder piece along with my boots.

"Why...?" he asks but still goes on to put on his shoes with all the time in the world.

"Hurry up!" I yell but just then I hear screams just as close as mind coming from the hall. Just then I see embers starting to form at our door.

"Damn," I hiss under my breath as I turn to pick up my stuff.

Only then is Haru jolted awake as the flames start to eat up the door, "Fire?!"

"Happy? You got your answer," I say sarcastically as I put his handbag over his shoulders abruptly. "Now let's get out of here!" I haul his smaller form under my arm and head towards the window. The flames expand fast through the room and leave me no choice but to jump out. Haru screams are muffled when we hit the snow three stories below us. I roll over on our landing catch him before he can fall forward. I stand him on his feet with a baffled look on his face. "Get your stuff, sport. We're getting out of here."

He nods and quickly picks whatever of his that had fallen. I pick up my own as I watch what's happening out in the streets. People were running away from the spreading fire but it didn't that that was why they were so frighten.

A sudden ripple of energy went through the air that I found more than familiar for some reason. Just then I see men with swords and a bow and arrows. All of them dressed completely differently than the villagers.

"Robbers?" Haru called baffled by the fires and the people running away.

"Run! It's the Huns!" Multiple screams kept saying the same thing. Now, I had no idea who the Huns were but from this they couldn't be any good at all. Suddenly I caught the sight of one that didn't seem to fit in with the rest. He was fully cloaked in black.

"Let's go," I hissed under my breath catching Haru by the waist again and pulling him under my arm.

"Where the hell are we going to?! They've got the exit blocked!" he bellowed louder than the fire that crackled all around us. There was one way out. I started following the crowd in order to blend in more. I couldn't get myself caught by the Organization but they seemed to be everywhere nowadays. "Where-"

"The mountains," I answered him before he could yell out our position. "If we follow the crowd we won't be caught by the bandits." Just then I saw a couple of soldiers from that world actually coming up to help. I only gave them a glance before I started following again. If the Organization was helping the bandits then they wouldn't have a chance. I couldn't just let them die like that.

I stopped in my tracks as people passed me by some cussing at me for stopping. I faced the opposite side as I put Haru down.

"You mustn't Master."

"Like hell I can!" I grab Ares from my thigh and extend it fully with its spikes. I turn to Haru, "Run along with them. I'll catch up."

"But-"

"Go!" Yelling at him, I turn towards the battle. I step right in front of the soldiers and find them actually having trouble with them.

"Civilians should be evacuating!" they called to me above the wreckage.

"I'm no civilian!" I yell back. Suddenly from the shadows Heartless begin to appear. They must have taught them how to control them. "And I'm no push-over either," I hiss under my breath as I start smashing them down. I stab three and crash one against a crowd of them as I try hauling them away from the people.

"Oba-san!" I turn around just in time to see Haru running my way just behind the soldiers.

"No, go away!" I bellow at him but before I can say anything else I get hauled by a Heartless's lance as it throws me against a pile of debris and snow. I dig myself out of it just in time to see the Heartless beginning to disappear.

"We're done here," one of the bandit's voice calls aloud to the others. My head barely peaked from over the ash covered snow to hear them but I couldn't see them. The snow was heavy on me and I couldn't move. Soon though I heard the ruckus that had happened no more and there was nothing but silence and the smoldering houses that were left.

"Oba-san!" I heard in the distance the bellows of the brat. I couldn't do much but raise my one leg that was protruding from the pile. I heard running as he neared me and saw where I was. He scoffed but when I kicked around he seemed to get the idea that I wanted him to get me out. He started then to dig and soon he got me out of the ashen snow. I took in a deep breath as I got out of it.

But before even thanking him I scowl and smack him upside the head.

"What the heck was that one for?! I just saved you!"

"When someone tells you do to something you do it. You don't come running head first towards the danger," I reprimand as I stand up and dust myself off. As I start looking around I notice that a man stood close to Haru. He wore a bright red cape and some kind of armor. "Who are you?"

"I'm Captain Li Shang. My army had been stationed here but was ambushed by the Huns. Right now we're searching the villagers that were harmed by the attack. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say popping my shoulder. "Who were those bandits?"

"They're the Huns. They're out to capture China and we're part of the Emperor's Imperial Army," the Captain explained.

"He got me out when I tried getting out here to help you out," Haru explained and I smacked him upside the head again to keep him quiet.

"Thanks for the help but we need to go," I say grabbing the brat by the forearm and dragging him along with me.

"Our soldiers are guarding past the mountains. You should head down the trail to our camp. Most of the villagers are there. You should be safe there," he said to us.

Uh-huh.

I went along the trail he mentioned but stopped just when I saw he wasn't looking anymore. I pulled Haru and myself out from sight and behind a lone wall that was still standing.

"What are you doing now?" Haru asked baffled by my actions.

"Head towards the snow mountains," I say nonchalantly as I tap my chin in thought. Rinto, besides hiding me, can you hide Haruka as well with my masks?

"It is possible but it will take much more energy than hiding just yourself. It will also be more breakable. If any person if within two meters from any of you or touches you, the mask will shatter," she quickly related.

"Got it," I say as I place my mask on. I feel the energy that enveloped me before starting to stretch over to Haru. I can tell he notices the shift in the air for I see his eyes noticeably widen as he starts glancing around for the cause of it. I simply grab his arm and whisper to him, "If you don't want to be sent off somewhere where I can't get to you, you better do as I say. Don't talk and stay as close to me as you can." He frowns but nods nonetheless as I take his wrist and walk our way towards the mountain trail.

As I pass the soldiers that are scavenging the village for survivors I can feel the delicacy of my masking now that I'm sharing it with another. It's like a thing wall that they could easily shatter if they just touched it. Thankfully thought they were all more entertained with their search than us so we got along just find. But I couldn't let it go just yet since more soldiers were up the mountain trail. Soon we reached the clearing where we'd spent the first night in the world at.

However, at getting there I noticed the grave mistake that I'd chosen by going up there.

"Hey!" Haru hissed when I suddenly picked him up and began climbing the shadows that were being cast by the mountain. All this just so that I could get as far from them as I could. I should have known. "Ah!" I glance down at Haru who now seemed to have his eyes at the same trio that I did. "Those three...they're the ones from Hollow Bastion!?"

"Would you keep it down!" I hiss to him as I watch from our bird's view of what was happening.

It just was in my luck that we'd run into Sora in the first world. Then again that was why I was here, to help him out when he needed it. Suddenly I saw in the distance that up in the mountain stood a lone figure. Just then I heard Haru take in a deep breath as if in shock. I couldn't stop to ask him what was wrong because the man that stood atop the hill had summoned hoards of Heartless that now were heading this way.

"The avalanche..." I heard Haru's soft whisper as I glance down at him.

"What are you-" but I couldn't finish because one of the Heartless had rushed at me and knocked me off the shadows. I couldn't hold on to Haru as we fell just inches away from the precipice. Getting a hold of myself, I noticed that my mask had shattered but thankfully Sora hadn't noticed us. I grabbed Haru by the hood of his vest seeing as he was steps away from the abyss and hauled him over to where I was. "Now, what the hell did you say?"

"It's an avalanche," he continued to muttered.

I didn't get why he would be saying that but I didn't have time to think when I heard a large explosion echo through the mountains. My eyes spotted the trail of smoke that had come from the one canon that the guy with Sora had fired at the mountain peak. It'd hit the mark straight and in seconds caused the snow on it to come rapidly down towards us.

"The Heartless," I mumble knowing exactly what the guy had done. He meant to wipe them clean off with the... I turn to Haru who's eyes were so wide I was surprised his eyeballs didn't pop out. "Avalanche," I mumbled baffled. How did he know...?

He was the first of us to regain their composure as he pulled me to my feet and dragged me to the cave where we had slumbered the first night. I ran into it after him just as the snow ravaged past us and over the cliff. The rumbling of its falling continued for several minutes and covered the cave's mouth almost completely. Fortunately it stopped before it trapped us inside. A slit of sunshine still came through giving us a way out from were we could start digging.

I can't believe we barely got away from that unharmed. I turned to Haru, "Are you-" But before I could voice my concern for him I saw them. He was panting heavily as he lay on all fours staring blankly at a stone wall. He was sweating as well. And although we were almost buried in completely darkness, his eyes gave a shine of there own. A clean ribbon followed as the scanned around the room and finally landed at me from hearing my half asked question.

His eyes bore into mine with that bright crimson color that gave a small light of their own.

I couldn't believe it. Those eyes that were so much like mine. Like the ones I hid.

"You..." I say with a soft whisper. "You have...red eyes too?"

* * *

_**I know: it took a long ass time.**_

_**I know: it's a long ass chapter but hey I wanna know if it was worth it. Yeah it didn't move the plot much except in the end but I hoped you liked it. I"m planning on writing more before Christmas but if I can't get to it by then I want to say this.**_

_**THANKS FOR ANOTHER WONDERFUL YEAR HERE AT FANFICTION AND I HOPE TO HAVE MANY MORE!**_

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I thought I wouldn't finish by new years but here it is! **_

_**Thanks to Antex-The Legendary Zoroark for the review and to spyroleplayer for the story following! :D And also to everybody who keeps up with this story. I love you all! **_

* * *

**The Fifth Mask: Memories in the Dust**

* * *

I couldn't believe what I saw. Haruka quickly got up and blinked away the bright red of his eyes. I was baffled now at how fast his eyes had changed from red to bright emerald at his own will. At his age I had never been able to do that. I was always with them constantly on. Constantly lying.

I opened my mouth to speak but he ignored me and simply passes me by to get to the pile of snow. Behind me I begin hearing digging as he piles away snow from the entrance.

I turn to see him as he goes about digging away. My mind was still processing what I had seen.

"Master?"

I know, but did I just imagine that?

"No, Master. I felt the surge of energy that emanated from him seconds before the avalanche happen."

I don't get it. Did he make it happen?

"No. It was not him that made it happen. I cannot deduce what exactly happen or what his powers cause but I am sure. I sense one of my brethren within the boy."

He's been bitten by one of the snakes. He's like...

"...me..." I breathed still unable to believe that after so much I had found someone like me.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are you actually gonna help me get us out of here?" Haru yelled quite angry as he kept digging through the snow with his hands.

I snap out of my daydream as I get up to him and begin helping him. I can't seem to ask him now of those eyes of his. I need to think of what's necessary to do in the present. We must get out of here as soon as we can.

"Fuck this. This is taking way to long," I groan as I take Ares out and stick it straight through the pile that's covering our way.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Melt this bitch," I grunt as I tap the exposed end of Ares. By doing this I activate one of the hidden abilities of Ares as the other end sends out a fireball straight through the snow leaving a gap wide enough for us to squeeze out of it. "That was much easier," I say taking Ares back. I nod my head towards it, "You get out and tell me if anyone's out there."

"Why?"

I grab him by his waist and push him through the hole, "Don't whine and go at it?" He kicks about as he squeezes his way through and finally gets through the other side. I wait a few minutes before his head pops in, "Coast is clear, oba-san."

"Stop calling me that," I reproach as I push his head back out. I climb into the hole and push myself out into the open. I glance around to see everything covered in thick snow, Heartless, Huns and all. "I can't believe they just buried everything under the rug. Literally."

"Who are those three anyway?" Haru asked as he walked a few feet away from me.

"I don't think you should be asking the questions, little man," I scowl at him with a certain innuendo that he gets for he remains quiet.

"But a better question is where are they now?"

"I see them," Haru called out pointing down towards a lower clearing of the mountain. And there they were along with a woman, it appeared. "We must have taken some time too," he glanced up at the sky making me look up as well. I got what he said for the sun had begun to dip low in the sky. "What now?"

"We wait and see what happens?" I simply retort as I take a sit, cross-legged on the snow where I had a good view of Sora and the others.

"That's it?" he spits back in disbelief. "We wait?"

"We wait," I repeat nonchalantly as I lean my chin on my hand.

"That's great! Just fabulous!" he rants off sarcastically. Yeah, that annoying part of him was starting to sprout back out. "I can't just wait here! I need to go see them!"

When the sudden silence is followed by his feet sinking in the snow, I look over my shoulder to find him stomping away towards the clearing where Sora was.

"Hey!" I cry out as I struggle to get up and catch up to him. "Hey, hey, hey. Where do you think you're going?" I reprimand him as I catch his forearm.

"To get my answers!" he bellows as he tries to release his forearm from my grasp. "Now. Let. Me. Go!"

At the same time he punctuates his last word, I hear a clear outburst from not far below the cliff on another lower clearing. I turn and see the man that had led the Heartless before had risen from his frozen grave. I immediately grab onto Haru and place a hand over his mouth as he fights to free himself. I concentrate instead on hiding both of us from the man's vision. It seems to work for he only glances around and bellows in his anger making Heartless sprout from the darkness within him.

Without waiting a second longer I pull Haru aside and run down the mountain trail as I try to keep up my mask. Just then I see Sora and the others no more than a few feet away from Haru and I. It seems that they too had caught the sight of the man sprouting like a lily during spring.

"He's heading for the Imperial City," the girl gasped alarmed. "We must warn Shang."

We watched silently as they go on their way and only when they're a good distance from us do I release Haru who starts ranting on at me. I ignore him and start following behind Sora.

"Are you even listening to me?! Where are you going?"

"After Sora," I simply say as I carefully creep down the trail to follow.

"Oh, now you want to go after him!" he goes on with that argument as we head down. It was a good thing that we were quite some way from them because this was quite some ranting this boy was doing.

"Don't you sass at me, boy. I swear you should've been born a girl 'cause of it," I mutter the last part to myself as we arrive at a clear ground after passing through the mountains. This one is covered in puddles and grass all around plus some piles of canons around the place. Just as we got there I got sight of them as they headed to the left path that headed towards a great city.

"Is that the way to the Imperial City?" Haru inquired much after suffering of a silence vow shortly after finishing his verbal tongue lashing towards me.

"They're being guided by a dweller of this world. I bet my munny it's the right way wherever they're going," I answer as I go on towards it. I'm surprised that the brat still follows despite his bipolar emotions. I swear he mouths off just as much as he listens. It's quiet impossible to guess which I'll get when I speak to him. Soon we arrived at the capitol but only to see it full of people bustling around.

"There's so many people," Haru called quietly to me. "Won't it be dangerous if that guy attacks this place?"

"Quite," I agree as I look around. I spot Sora from afar heading for the palace up ahead. "There, the palace." We start running after them as we pass and push away people to get through. We get to the palace's courtyard's gate but stop just behind it as I see beyond it how as people begin to run out for safety, Sora and the rest are fighting against Heartless.

"Shouldn't you help?" Haru asked looking up to me.

"I can't," I admit while biting my lower lip. I hate how tied down I am because of the task given to me.

"What do you mean you can't?" he growled apparently getting tired of my attitude. He wasn't the only one. "You can fight. Go out there and help."

"I've learn that just because I can doesn't mean I should," I tell him as I pull him back before he can even go at it himself.

"I don't get it."

"You will someday," I mutter as I watch as Sora fights his way to the palace's door and begins fighting the Hun leader. By then most people had remained back at the courtyard that Sora had now cleared from enemies where it was safe. I couldn't do much but watch. However they didn't seem to need much of my help anyways for they defeat the man with the help of the young woman that had been with them before. "You see, my help wasn't needed."

"But, I don't get it," he says a bit confused as he glances down at the ground. "How did you know that he wouldn't need you?"

"I didn't," I answer glancing down at him with a small smile that was created by one of my masks. "I just saw everything unravel and although I didn't know what would happen, I had faith."

"Faith?"

"I know it's not much but that boy has surprised me countless of times," I tell him without really noticing what I say. "His light...I can't believe how bright it shines even when it shouldn't. It...amazes me. It makes me believe that there's always a way. That no matter what everything will be okay."

He simply stares down at the floor as the rest of the event continues. They step before the Emperor of the land and soon he bows before the girl who's brave actions helped save it all. When he does, everybody else, including Sora, Donald and Goofy, bow as well. Seeing as it would be respectful to do so, I bow as well and put Haru's head down against his will for a few seconds before letting go.

I look up and see as a strange light begins shinning from the sword that the girl held in her hands. It shoots off a ray of light as Sora opens the gate using his Keyblade.

At seeing this I grin and turn to Haru, "Looks like everything's clear to go. We've got a clean road to travel."

"Really?" Haru asked a bit too excited. Noticing this, he quickly cleared his throat and become a bit more serious. "Oh, that's nice."

I chuckle a little before leaving the crowd and going into an empty place. I glance over my shoulder to see Haru behind me, "Ready?" He nods and with that I give my shoulder piece a knock as we change into the armor and my motorcycle appears before me. I jump onto it as he sits himself in front of me. "Let's hit it," I call as I head for the open road and find myself out in the Lanes-in-Between.

"Look!" Haru exclaims as he points behind us. "It's Hollow Bastion!" Beyond the distance I can see it like he said. Just then I hear the bustling of an engine. I turn my upward to see the trio's Gummi Ship as it travels in the opposite direction. I glanced their way and back at Hollow Bastion. I did a double take and then some again before grunting.

I can't believe this. Fuck my mission.

"What are you doing?!" Haru bellows glaring up at me. "Are you blind? Hollow Bastion's that way!"

"Stop it with the sassing," I grunt as I speed up to catch up with them. "I'm on the job and until those three land again at Hollow Bastion I won't be rid of you. So I'm stuck with you for a bit longer, sport. Rejoice."

"Whooping-freaking-doo!" he yells, his words completely dipped in sarcastic juice. Yeah, he likes the idea alright. Can't say I do much either but work is work. I owe Sora much more than I bare to admit and for that I need to repay him. And if I have to babysit this brat for a bit longer then so be it.

* * *

"Where are we now? It's all gloomy and dark out here." Haru's voice echoed a bit from the stone walls that upheld a gate towards a great, dark castle.

"It's Beast's Castle," I say under my breath as I glance over it. We had landed on the bridge that united the castle's gate with the forest. I've been here numerous times before back when I was in the Organization. So many missions alone in this place. Even meeting Riku here for the first time when I was undercover.

When I was saving-

"Agh!" My yelp came from me as my head suddenly started hurting. The pain was piercing as if someone had stabbed my head.

"Oba-san?!" Haru cried out running to my side. "What's wrong?!"

I could barely hear him as he spoke for the pain was killing me. I could barely hear anything or see anything. My head was just splitting in pain. But why? What was happening to me!

"Master, relax." Even when the pain was killing me, I could hear Rinto's voice crystal clear. "Please, Master. Calm down and breath." I tried to brush away the pain as I took deep breaths and tried to relax and collect myself. After minutes of doing this I could finally see a bit clearer and could now here the worried cries of the boy that now knelt beside me. I had been so overtaken by the pain that I hadn't noticed that I had fallen from it as well.

After a good twenty minutes I could finally see and hear. I placed a hand on Haru's shoulder to calm him down. "I'm okay now."

"Yeah but what the hell happened?" he asked not caring that I glared at him for cussing out.

But now that he asked, I was having the same question. What the hell happened?

"It was something inside of you, Master. It seems that you were trying to reach out to something in your memories that doesn't exist," Rinto explained to me. Something that doesn't exist? But how could I try to reach for something that doesn't exist? "I do not have an answer to that Master but it began to interfere with me and clash against me. It was trying to destroy me."

"It can't destroy you, though," I say unknowingly aloud for Haru begins asking me who the heck was I talking to. "You're a part of me."

"I am. However these memories are trying to shun we away. They wish for me to remain dormant like I was before Hotaru."

"Why?" But nothing answered but silence. "Answer me, damn it!"

"You're starting to creep me out," Haru spoke up taking a step away from me.

Right now I didn't care because something in me was messing with my head. For all I knew it could be some weird thing that was triggered when Naminé was rearranging Sora's memories. Then again it could be something else...something that wanted my powers to shut off.

I wasn't about to let that happen.

"Do not concern yourself about it Master. I have fought off that force that tried to subdue me. I have reinforced myself and your mind as well to any further attack."

"Could it have been-"

"Hotaru? It is a plausible explanation but it isn't certain. The force that was emanated didn't give enough strength to alert me of its source. All I could tell was of its intention."

"Are you done with your crazy tirade?"

I glance over at Haru who's simply staring off at me as if I were some crazy person. I couldn't blame him either. I'd been ranting out at Rinto for an explanation as to why I had a metaphorical bullet shot through my brain. Nonetheless I brushed it off and turned to him. I still was having a residual headache but I masked it away and faced him with a smile.

"Sorry about that," I tell him with a wry chuckle. "I have these bad migraines and they make me hallucinate. Don't mind me."

"Are you a crazy lady beside being an oba-san?"

"Yes, brat. I am. Now-"

Before I could finish a began hearing a quick swishing and swirling from behind us. I spun around to catch the sight of five Dragoon Nobodies heading our way. If they were here then that meant that Xaldin must be overlooking the Beast now.

I immediately brandish Ares and stab the first one that headed my way. They must have been alerted to hunt me down as well for the first one had headed rather quickly my way.

"Stay back," I call to Haru as I bend down low before charging off to the others. I strike one and bash him to the side and over the bridge while barely evading another. But I wasn't as good as I thought for two others appeared from beneath me and lashed away at me. I caught all of the attack full on without being able to defend myself.

Just then I heard a loud bang followed by a bright small ball that swirled in a bright red, sparkling flurry that went straight through one of the Dragoons bursting it into a massive fireball that burnt the others away from me.

I leaped back from them and turned to where the shot had come from. Standing there was Haruka holding a pistol. It wasn't my Desert Eagle but instead the smaller pistol that was more compatible with magic. Was what he just fired a magic bullet? I spun around with Ares on my side to strike at one of the Dragoons before somersaulting back and landing a few feet before Haru.

I glance over my shoulder towards him, "What did you do?"

"I-I don't know," he answer taken aback what he'd done too.

Maybe he's not as uncool as I thought at first. "Shoot it."

"What?" he exclaims as if I were crazy.

"Shoot it again!" I cry out as I charge out at another one. While fighting against the one I heard a bullet shoot from behind me. The next thing I knew I bright bullet that left a sparkling blue trial behind it shot at another one. This one made the Nobody freeze in place like a big chunk of ice. I kick the block over to the next closest enemy and destroyed both in the process.

After that one, none were left. I panted as I turned over to Haru who held the small pistol with two wobbly hands. I scoff a bit as I shrunk Ares back and placed it in its holder.

"Not bad, squirt," I praise as I ruffle his hair and head for the castle.

"H-Hey!" he called out after me and caught up. "Here." I glance over my shoulder to see him handing me the pistol over.

I wave my hand dismissively, "It's yours. I bought out of curiosity but in truth I can't use it. You're more skilled at magic so it'll be more useful in your hands."

He blinked twice before taking it back, "I guess...thanks."

"Don't mention it." I scoffed thinking of this on the spot, "This way at least I won't be bothered by protecting you."

"Gee, thanks oba-san," he says with a clear pout and sarcasm. I laugh at it unable to withstand. This kid is just too easy sometimes.

As we walk past the iron gates into the castle's courtyard I whistle loudly and glance up at the grand castle. "This place never ceases to amaze me," I admit under my breath.

"You've been here before?" he asked me curious.

"Plenty," I answer as I stand there admiring it. On my peripheral I see Haru starting to walk towards the front door. I shake my head at him and walk ahead but to the left. I stop half way when he begins reaching the door and turn sideways to him, "Hey, Einstein. I don't think you'll want to head in through there."

"Why not?" he sassed putting his hands on the handle to pull it.

"You'll be mostly likely attack by a hoard of Heartless that are roaming around this place."

"You're paranoid."

"Fine," I call shrugging my shoulders. "Be my guest, then." I leaned back as he turns to face me with a smug grin. He goes in leaving the door barely open. I sigh at his stupidity. In seconds I hear a great ruckus inside and immediately see him running back outside and slamming the door shut as fast as he could. He was panting and seemed a bit scared but unfortunately nothing happened to him. He turned to face me and his demeanor changed instantly. He went from scared to cool and collected in record time and walked over to where I was.

"I prefer just to stay close to you. Wouldn't want to get lost in such a large place," he says while clearing his throat.

I smirk knowing that I'd been right and spin on my heel to give him my back. "Never doubt the knowledge of one wiser than you," I recite as I push open a secret door that I frequently used to roam the castle to avoid being detected. "After you," I lilt and bow lightly to mock him. He punches me lightly mad at being made fun of which just makes me laugh all the more. We walk along the musky underground pathways towards the main castle in silence. That is until Haru decides to open his big mouth to disturb it.

"So..." he says as I lead us past the turns and contraptions of the underground passages. "You know those three that where back at the last world?"

"Whom ever are you talking about?" I ask with a grin on my lips. I got to admit, although I hate lying most of the time, I love it when I can use this one mask that never fails me. One that masks me behind aloof smiles and grins. I haven't used it ever since I was in the Organization when it took a lot of lying to be there. Now that he was asking me about Sora and the others when I wasn't really suppose to say anything, I was gladly using it to covering me.

"Those three," he emphasized by putting three fingers up in the air. "The brunette, the dog, and the duck. You know 'em?"

"I know them."

Silence.

"Who are they?"

"Like you said: a brunette, dog, and duck."

Utter silence.

"I meant like they're names."

"Brownie, Fido, and Ducky."

"I'm being serious, here!" he bellowed reaching the limit of his short temper.

"Now, do you really expect me to answer your questions?" I say slightly tilting my head his way with an aloof grin. He opened his mouth to talk back but closed it again. Oh how I loved shutting others up. "I've always been up for a fair trade. If you want knowledge bestow knowledge."

"Come again?" he asks snottily.

I sigh in irritation in the inside but keep a grin on the outside. "You tell me something first and I'll reciprocate."

"It can't be that simple," he challenged clearly not believing me.

"Try me," I insist.

He pouted and thought about something to tell me. "My birthday is in a few days. I'm turning eleven."

"Really?" I ask a bit sad that he'll most likely have to spend it away from home. "Mine is quite a few months away. I'd be turning seventeen then. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thanks," he replies a tinge of sadness in his voice. But soon his brow furrowed in annoyance, "How am I suppose to get the knowledge that I want if I keep telling you this little bit?"

"Tell me something more meaningful and I'll answer the same," I explain him. I'll keep beating around the bush until I can bore him out of the question. It won't do much for him but plenty for myself. For now, that's better than anything. He's too prideful, I can tell that much from the little with known each other. He won't mouth off anything too personal or shameful. And since he's so tight lipped, I'm pretty sure that this conversation ends-

"I don't remember anything about my life before waking up with Leon and the others at Hollow Bastion."

...here.

I stop and spin on my heels to face him. He had stopped as well and was looking down averting his gaze from my preying sight. He did it. I can't believe it. I guess you can't judge a book by it's cover.

"You don't?" Without glancing at me even once he nodded slowly once. I knew that deep, very deep inside me I felt a tinge of guilt for playing him into saying that out loud. I guess that's what they called having a guilty conscious.

"Master? I can sense you are distressed. Is everything fine?"

_"Don't worry. I'm fine."_

I scratch the back of my neck nervously. He was full of himself sometimes, sure, but he knew when to pocket away his ego. "I'm kind of the same, I guess." His gaze finally was brought up after I said this. His eyes were a bit glassy as if he were about to cry. I cringe inside, I don't know what to do when kids cried. I didn't like that. "Um, you see, I was found by the one that raised me. The thing is I don't remember anything before that. That happened almost ten years ago, now."

"Really?" I simply nod as an answer because if I said anything I know I would lie. Thank goodness that I still had part of Sora's mask that at least made me say half of a truth. He sniffed a little and brushed his arm across his faces. He was clearly trying to hide the fact that talking about his amnesia was a touchy subject. "Did you get over it?"

"Well, I barely found out a year ago and even then I ignored the fact that they had," I say a little too bluntly. "I mean, I was so caught up with other stuff that I never got around thinking what that really entailed. Like who're my parents and why did I end up where I did. Did I even had any parents or a family? Yeah, I guess I haven't, sport. Then again I haven't tried." I grin at him while gabbing my hands behind my back, "Have you?"

His brows furrowed very much confused at what I'd just ask him. "I...haven't." He suddenly scoffed, "Funny, I've always hated that feeling of being abandoned but I've never really gone out there to look for myself either. How stupid of me." I saw his hands clearly ball into fists from his self-hatred. This little guy has so much pain and hurt in him that it's hurtful to watch. It was like that sorrow and pain were slowly turning into hatred for the world that abandoned him to his own fortune.

I knew exactly what that felt like.

I gave him a wry smile as I took a knee before him. His face turned to me a bit baffled but quickly turned stoic. He was trying so hard to hide everything he felt. Much like I do with my masks. I forgot that this kid too had powers like mine. I wonder how he feels about them. If he is the same as me and just outright hates them.

The corners of my lips quirked up a bit in a half smile as I spoke softly to him, "It's not stupid. We all try to avoid the things we know will hurt us. But hey, what's more convenient on finding what's lost than journeying someplace you haven't been to? Believe me, sport, we'll bound to find something out here. If not, there's still plenty of places to go. We'll get there."

He glanced at me with confused stare. He didn't believe me. "You're lying. All adults lie," he cruelly said under his breath as he lowered his eyes. His left hand scrambled inside his vest and held something tightly in his hand. I couldn't see it but it was something on a string that wrapped around his neck. A necklace, I suppose but I couldn't see of what. If the pain and hurting kept growing there would be nothing but darkness in his heart.

"I suppose you're right," I say with a scoff as I stand back up again and close my eyes when I see the full moon. I couldn't help but side with him on that. All people lied one way or another. Be them white or worse lies. And he had all the right in doubting my words.

After all...

I opened my eyes to see the moon that had changed to a bright hue of red along with the once dark sky.

I am the biggest liar of them all.

But even so I have a promise of my own to uphold. I promised _him _I would protect my friends. I may be a liar but in no way do I break my promises.

"But you're not the only one searching for answers, Haruka," I whisper under my breath while still staring at the bright red moon on the sky.

Then all of a sudden I heard him take a big gasp and blink before turning to him. My vision had returned to normal but I could still feel the tinge of burning in them. His eyes were wide in bewilderment and his mouth was half open as he pointed at me. He kept babbling and muttering as if trying to say something but nothing would come out.

"What's the matter?" I finally ask raising a brow.

His brain apparently decided to form a coherent word just then. "Your-"

"Master, your-"

**"Your eyes!"**

I flinch a bit as my jaw falls to the floor. Shit! I could've sworn I'd hidden them under my mask!?

I quickly turn away from him trying to hide what he'd seen. I started walking off ignoring the calls that he gave me to wait for him. But the great crash that I had from above stopped me in my tracks when the shock traveled down to the cellar where we were. I turned just to see the debris from above fall on us separating me from Haru. I run up to the wall of debris while covering my face from the flying rubbish and notice that it piled on itself making it impossible to climb or go around of.

"Haru!" I yell as loud as I can for him to here me. I hear nothing for a few seconds before I start hearing loud coughing from the other side. I sigh relieved that the brat is still alive. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" he bellows back.

"Good," I say under my breath and turn back to talk to him. "Head back towards the front door. I'll wait for you on the other side."

"B-But there's Heartless in there!?"

I cringed inside knowing he was clearly scared about fighting them on his own. "Don't worry. I'll be there when you do. I'll get there to fight with you. You have to be brave, sport. Trust me."

"I can't do it," he whimpered and I could tell he was gonna break on me if I didn't change his attitude and fast.

"I'll be there, sport. I may be a liar like the rest but there's one thing I'll never do and that's break my promises."

He remained quiet for a minute there and I heard him sniff away his doubts as he answered me in a shaky voice, "I'll be there waiting for you. You promise me you'll be there when I get there, oba-san?!"

"I promise, squirt. I'll be there for you. Now go! Don't let them catch you off guard. You have that pistol with you and if it's you I know you'll get there safe and sound," I call to him. He agrees to what I say and soon I hear his little footsteps heading away towards the entrance. Out of nowhere the same earthquake hits and more debris starts falling from above me.

"Master, it's not safe to stay underneath here for too long. You must keep moving forth before the entirety of the cellar collapses on itself."

"Heard you loud and clear!" I exclaim as I run out of the way of a falling boulder that would have crushed me. I couldn't do much but avoid them as I kept running through the passageway. Soon I came across a fork in the path but as soon as I reached anywhere near it Heartless appeared to attack. However, even if I wanted to fight, I couldn't stand around and be bothered by them. I heard another rumbling from above and noticed that the ceiling above was beginning to collapse...and fast. I jump over the Heartless, creeping fast on the shadows that they cast. It was hard seeing the shadows among the darkness of the cellar but I somehow managed to jump on it and get my bump up. I stepped on a Soldier's head and front flipped to land on the other side of the right path. I roll to a stop before quickly glancing behind me.

The Heartless were rapidly being buried by the rocks that fell on them and the cracks on the ceiling were reaching me fast. Without another second to waste, I start running towards the exit. I'm hearing the crumbling of it too close behind me but just then I see in the distance the thing strips of light from under a door.

The exit! I take one last sprint towards it and burst it open with my full weight on it. I taste the flavor of dusty rug in my mouth as I hear the passage behind me collapse completely. I turn to lay on my back to see the entrance completely blocked off. I could have been under there.

I lay completely on my back while trying to catch me breath. I can't help but notice that although I'm out of the underground I'm still in the cellar. I can't celebrate just yet.

"Where am I now?" I've never taken this way. I always took the left road that led to me to the West Wing of the castle. Maybe the other left me to the East Wing's cellar. I climb up the half broken steps through the shadows and try opening the door. I have no luck though since it's tightly locked from the other side. I try putting Ares through and break it but it didn't even budge. I blow away my bangs from my face in frustration. They must have fallen off from place while I ran away. I go back down and try finding something I can open the door with.

"Rinto, how long has it been since I left Haru?" I asked Rinto as I take my clips in my mouth and fix my left bangs.

"Almost twenty-five minutes, Master?" she answers as stoic as ever. "If he was left unhindered, the boy should arrive in five more minutes."

"Shit," I mumble under my breath. I had to get out of here to get to Haru in time. I wouldn't let this kid down.

"Woof!"

I spun on my heels and cry out when a cushioned foot rest jumps at me and pushes me down to the floor. "Hey!" I call as it starts licking me and barking some more. I sit up and pick it up by its sides. It's little tassel wagging around and what looked like mouth under its cushion. "Are you a-" he licks my face just and then and barks at me before wiggling out of my grasp. He trots about before reaching the wall that was directly across from the blocked passageway I had come from. He then started scratching under the wall just then as if he were trying to get through it.

"You can't go passed it. It's not a door," I speak under my breath as I walk over to it. I can't believe I'm talking to a foot rest. But I saw then that something budged at where he was digging. I came over and tried pushing the wall over. I shouldered it a couple of times before finally pushing it open. "It was a door," I whisper as I look beyond the corridor that went all the way up into the castle.

"Woof! Woof!" it barked and went on barking and pouncing as it went on to the castle. I didn't waste time at all and ran down the hallway that led up to the East Wing.

"Great!" I called glad that I had gotten out of there and went ahead and started for the foyer. As I ran down the staircase I noticed that the ballroom door that had usually been a clear golden hue was now wrapped in chains allowing entrance to no one from the outside. I reached its entrance but got caught off guard when I heard shots coming from the main foyer. I glanced over and caught Haru trying to fight off Heartless from this world. "Damn!" I curse under my breath as I jumped onto the banisters and impulse myself from there to clash Ares onto the ground creating a shock wave. All disappear at the magnitude of it and I turn to see if he'd been injured while I was away but all I get is a punch to my side. "What the-"

"You're late!" he bellowed his cheeks flushed and his eyes a bit glazed over. I hold my side while looking at him and noticing the clear signs of his anxiety. I must've been longer than I thought.

"I'm sorry, sport," I apologize and ruffle his hair. I nod my head towards the ballroom doors. "Any idea what happened?"

He nods and points towards a pair of doors that led to a small room to the top right of the foyer. "I was in there when I saw a lady come from where you came from awhile ago. Then your friends from before came from the other one sometime later. When they did the chains wrapped around them and I couldn't get in."

"Must've been a Heartless. It must have been the one making the tremors down below too." Then it hit me what he'd said, "You tried to what?"

"Nothing!" he immediately came with and walked over to the foot of the stairs. "What are we gonna do now? Wait again?"

"We have nothing to do but that, kid," I agree as I sit down on the lowest step.

"How am I going to get my memories back if I just sit around?!" he bellowed at me while standing right in front. "Can't we go search for them or something instead of waiting?"

"See, that would be a good idea if we knew how to look for them or if we even knew how they looked," I retort making him grunt in frustration and begin pacing around the foyer.

The mutt/foot rest that had guided me here comes trotting then to my side. "Thanks for before, bucko," I tell it and pet him. It's tussle begins to wag as if it were happy for that. I chuckle lightly, "I owe ya a treat. Or a good wash. Whatever you prefer." He barks twice before he sniffs me thoroughly. "H-Hey," I giggle as it's pelt tickles me. When he's done he barks again and starts heading to one of the rooms in the castle.

"What is that?" Haru grumbles while I stand up to see where it's going too.

"It's...a dog, I think," I whisper lightly while following it with my eyes. He sniffs the ground as if tracking my scent from somewhere and ends up at a door that he beginnings to scratch at for someone to open it. I walk over to it with Haru close to me and close my hand around the doorknob.

"We shouldn't be snooping around, oba-san," he whispered out of nowhere making me grimace.

I glare at him over my shoulder. "I thought you were the nosy brat that wanted to search the place?"

"Y-Yeah but..." he mumbles low grabbing a hold of my coat. I roll my eyes at his childishness and turn the knob finally opening the door for the mutt to enter. I glance around the room with the dim light that's there from the candles. A lone fireplace sits before us but it's unlit. Some furniture sits about but it's all dusty as if it'd been years since someone had used them or even cleaned them. The foot rest finally sniffs its way to the fireplace and starts digging around at the wood and ashes there. I walk out to the paintings and furniture that litters the abode.

"What a dump," I mumble under my breath as I look around.

"What's this you got there, fella?"

I spin on my heels to watch Haru kneeling down with the mutt before the fireplace. It's sitting down put and wagging it's tail. I notice just then that it was holding a small glass ball no larger than a marble the size of my thumb and a gold color.

"What's it got?"

Haru grunts as he pulls the marble from it's muzzle and pets it to distract it. He inspects it for a bit but only furrows his brow in frustration. "It's just a dumb glass marble," he clicks his tongue and tosses it aside. It rolls until it hits my shoes and stops a bit away from me. I bend down and pick it up to hold it to my eyes' view. I see it sparkle in the faintest light ever.

"Huh?" I can't help but see the light grow brighter and hurtful to my eyes. Without any warning, it begins cracking in my hands and I cringe. I couldn't have been holding it that tight, could I?

_"Os?"_

That faint, child's voice startles me so that I let go of the marble. It drops to the floor and I hear it clearly break into tiny shards which simple burst into light.

"Oba-san!?" I hear Haru's bellow but I can't see him for I'm covering my eyes from the bright light. When the pain on my eyes ebbs a little, I uncover and open them up. I gasp at seeing that all around me there is nothing but hues of white and gold particles that drift in the air upward. I glance down to see the floor is shinning. Taking a step back, it moves with me. It's gold sand. "Oba-san!" My head snaps up to see Haru standing some feet away from me in the same golden sand and the same particles dancing upward and around him. I ran up to him but strike something that pushes me back. I shake my head and stretch my hands before myself. My hands touche a wall but one that I can't see. "What's going on?" he cries out nervous and scared as his tiny hands touch the same wall that mine do.

"I don't know," I murmur as I search about for something I use to reach him. He's scared and alone. I promised him I wouldn't leave him to himself. "Don't worry. I'll fine a way to get us out."

I start looking around more for something until my eyes land over Haru's small figure. Beyond him I see the particles beginning to dance about. Faint figures start to form there from the gold and white hues.

One, I recognize.

"Haruka?"

He notices that it isn't him I'm staring at and glances over his shoulder. He gasps as he finally sees the same image as the one I'm seeing. The figures finally form in a blurry array. A small boy much younger than what Haru is now, probably of six stands before another. The figure of a girl of maybe fourteen stands before him. All their features are blurred by the dust and hues. I recognize the younger Haru by the hair but even his face I can't recognize nor can I recognize the girl's. All I see if he straight, long, chocolate hair.

When the images are as clear as they can get, I can see the girl beginning to move. It seems like grains sliding from place to place as she moves. She seems to smile at him while he hands are behind her back. The younger Haru only wears a sullen expression apparently and never lifts his gaze from the floor.

He seems so sad. Much more than he is now. He looks hopeless as if he's given up on the world and himself. The girl stands back up straight and pouts as if thinking while putting her finger on her chin. A grand grin appears on her face as she clasps her hands. Then she reaches under her dress and pulls out from her bosom a small necklace.

I narrow my eyes to see what it is. I can't help but think I've seen it somewhere before.

It's a thin but long leather string tied and attached to it is an small ornament that couldn't possibly be any bigger than my palm. It had a small, circular sapphire lined in silver and it sat a top in intricate design. Two strings looped inward to both sides of the gem and sitting on them was the design of an inverted heart. Below the gem was another heart but this one stood right up. On the bottom heart a smaller teardrop-shaped sapphire sat and was from where the loops began and extended towards the bigger gem. Behind it all was a small pair of cherub wings that hugged the entire piece together to make it seem to have the shape of a tear itself.

As she held it, it fit right in her palm. She held it by the leather string and placed it over Haru's neck carefully with one hand while holding the emblem with the other. I could see her lips moving while she spoke and slowly Haru's face began lifting until it could see her. When he did, she finished and a small tear escaped from Haru's eye. Soon enough many more followed and he embraced the girl that had given him the necklace.

The images then began to fade as the particles once again flowed upward towards the white sky.

I still couldn't make sense of what I saw but as I glanced down at the older Haru that had witnessed it all from the other side. What I saw astonished me.

Haruka...was crying. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks. His eyes were wide and his hands were wrapped around his necklace. I could see finally from this side of the wall that the necklace from the images was the same one as the one that he held now in his hands. Could it have been...?

"A memory of his...?"

_"Os?"_

I turned around at hearing a childish voice that sounded much familiar to me. There I saw the particles forming the images of Oswald, Ortensia, and myself back when I was seven. A year after they had found me. I stood before them inside Ortensia's garden playing with one of Oswald's bunny children. I could see a stoic expression on my young face as I glanced outside of the glass dome to the streets of Ostown. Os and Ortensia sat having a picnic.

I remembered this day, it was after I came from what would be my last day of school for me. I was so sad and it hurt so much what had happened but I couldn't express those emotions. My eyes, even then, worked like a charm but since I couldn't really control them they left me showing no emotion instead.

_"What is it, Aya?"_

_"Am I weird?"_

Oswald and Ortensia glanced at each other before I turned to look at them with those red eyes I kept back then. I couldn't hide them when I was smaller. I hated it.

_"Why would you ask that, Aya-chan?"_

I turned back to gander outside where I could see the kids playing in town. My little hand wondered up to my forehead where a band-aid was. I reached myself up to my own to feel the scar that was there covered by my bangs. The reason I liked keeping my bangs from the left side up was to put attention to them. That way nobody would bother to look to the left of my forehead where the scar from that time remained.

_"The kids from school, they told me I was weird and that my eyes were creepy."_ The little girl pulled at the bunny's ears hard enough for the bunny to cry out in pain and jump out of her hands. _"I can hear them saying that they don't like me, they're parents saying that they don't want me close to their kids. That I'm a freak and a monster."_ She turned to Oswald before saying,_ "Os, why can't I hear them say those mean things when they're not saying anything?" _

The particles disappeared, flowing upwards like Haru's had. This time the gold sand started swirling around. I couldn't help but cover my eyes from the grains. They swirled around us and soon dispersed leaving us back in the room we had been.

Nothing was different. It was as if we hadn't been gone.

"Master?"

Hearing Rinto's voice startled me somewhat making me realize that I was back. "What is it, Rin?"

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy have departed from this world. I have located their Gummi Ship and know where they are now," Rinto explained.

I nodded while holding my head. "Thanks, Rin." I hadn't thought of that day in so long. The shame, the fear, and the loneliness I felt that day. It brought me farther and farther from the people there. I hated them for judging me. I hated them for being so mean to me. And most of all it made me hate myself for not knowing what I felt exactly.

All I felt was hatred.

I felt a sudden tug on my coat and glance over my shoulder to see Haru hiding his face on it before he spoke, "Are we leaving yet?"

He must be overwhelmed with emotion as well. Hopefully one more joyful than mine.

I nodded and call to Rinto, "Tell me their coordinates."

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_**Wow. Intense stuff there. Hopefully you guys liked it. It's my Christmas present for you guys! :D**_

_**Merry Christmas and Happy New Years xD**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Well here we are again! :D With a new year comes a new chapter of course :)**_

_**I have to Thank Antex for the review c: Thanks a lot. And also to IsraAl'Attia-Theron for the story follow :D Glad to know people like it. And also thanks to all the people who take the time to read this story as well C:**_

_**Now let us begin :)**_

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**The Sixth Mask: Brave**

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"This is...?" I mumble under my breath as we land on the outside of a great coliseum.

"It is Olympus Coliseum, Master. This are the coordinates that I obtained," Rinto spoke in my head. I thank her for following Sora around while I handled Haru's emotional state.

Ever since we saw our memories from that small crystal ball, he went from being a snarky brat into an emotionless one. We left Beast's Castle but he wouldn't say a single word. All he did was pull his hood over his head and remain creepily stoic. Not even when I talked to him would he answer anything other than mono syllabic words.

He seemed so lost with himself that it sort of worried me of his sanity.

I mean, even I don't understand exactly what happened but I'm not letting it bring me down. I've got work to do. Whatever it was, it happened and it's a way to return to him his memories. He should be happy about it not completely dumbfounded from it. I glance down at him from where I stood beside him and grimace.

_"By the way, what was that place? The golden sand place where we saw our memories?"_

"It is known as a remote place. The vanishing isle of this universe, if you will," Rinto tried explaining to me carefully. "I do not know of its true person but it is said that that isle was birthed from the crushed light of fallen warriors."

"Crushed light?" I say under my breath. Does it have a name?

"It has many names which the world dwellers call it by. One that I know is the Ring of the Fallen."

I guess because of them who fell, right?

"Yes."

I brush off the eerie feeling I get as we walk up to the front door and I open it for him. Inside the vestibule are people waiting apparently for something. We hang in line and start overhearing what the whole commotion was about. "Seems they're having some kind of tournament," I say aloud to Haru who doesn't answer. I sigh and push him a bit forward and into the arena. I guess a little distraction might help him compose himself better.

I end up buying tickets to see the fight and on the way some snacks. I haven't eaten some good food in a while. I buy plenty for us as we reach a place to sit down. The arena seems to be full with people with no spot left unoccupied. I turn to Haru only to see him the same way he'd been the past few hours.

"Damn!" I grunt and shove in his mouth some sweet bread. He begins to choke as he struggles to gulp it down. I simply stare at his endeavor with a drink in my hand. At seeing it he snatches it from my hand which was what I expected. He chugs it down and takes a deep breath before turning to glare at me. I having ignore his whole charade am only eating popcorn as the match begun.

"What the fu-" I stuff another bread inside his mouth before he can finish that sentence. He takes it from his mouth and opens it to continue but I simply turn to him and smile menacingly.

"You finish that sentence and I will impale you myself," I declare with a sweet smile on my face but with the darkest intents in mind. I notice his expression darkens at my threat as he turns to face to match a bit concerned, no doubt, about my questionable sanity. I turn away as well towards the match as we watch the main honcho, Hercules, fight off hordes of monsters. I can't help but notice that even with his sullen mood gone there's still something amiss.

I take one last sip of my drink before taking a deep breath and speaking, "I won't ask what you saw or remembered but I do want you to listen to me." I didn't want for anyone to hear me above the yelling crowd but I spoke loud enough for him to hear me. I know he heard me though when he turned his head while giving me a nasty glare. It was clear he didn't want to tell anybody about what he'd remembered much less a stranger like me. With the tinge of a smile on lips to hide away my stoicism, I begin my little speech.

"Seen what you may have, I don't blame you for having such attitude. I don't know you well enough to know how you would have reacted so I can't console you either," I place my chin on my hand as I watch Hercules fight the match. "I've never been much of a kids person. But I'll tell you that the way you're acting isn't the right way to handle things."

"How would you know?!" he yelled but among the shouting crowd it was loud enough to be considered a normal tone of voice.

My eyes glance to him and I can tell that he's pissed with me. Major. I simply sigh while looking away. "You're right, I don't know but that doesn't mean that I don't know what's best in some circumstances." This seems to confuse him somewhat. "Just because the man is blind does it mean he doesn't know what the world looks like. I may not know what you're going through but I have my own shit to deal with as well. Although different, our situations are the same. You can't solve all the problems by yourself, sport, but-"

As I spy around the place I notice the half goat man that cheers Hercules on from the sidelines of the arena. I grin, perfect example. "Surely someone from the outside can help you. If you don't want me to I understand but surely someone, somewhere might be able to help you out."

I tilt my head and chuckle a bit at his amazed expression. At least as amazed as I might get to see it. I grin at him once more before ruffling his hair, "No hurt feelings if it's not me, really. Just don't try to burden yourself with everything. You're not living in yesterday, bucko. You're living in today and it's all that ever counts."

"Living today?" I nod at his inquiry. At hearing the crowd cheer, we turn to catch Hercules winning what seems to be yet another match. As the coliseum begins to vacate I take my chance to buy some extra sweets, cherry-flavored caramels. From my pouch I reach for the small bag with blue powder and sprinkles some inside the candies as I stir them around. "What's that for?"

"Motion sickness medicine," I admit with a sigh as I pop one into my mouth and crunch it down. "I might puke if we go on my motorbike one more time."

"Too much information," he calls clearly disgusted.

I grin and wink at him, "Don't like the prospect of that either, sport. Reason being for these." We walk around the outside of the coliseum and see the hero himself walking out as people begin to round about him. I pull Haru by his collar before he can be dragged in with the running crowd. "Let's go somewhere else, shall we?"

As we walk around I notice the main entrance wide open leading somewhere underneath. As we head down we being to notice that this wasn't part of town or even up above.

"It got chilly all of a sudden," Haru claims as he rubs his shoulders.

"True," I agree seeing my own breath come out in front of me. We were somewhere that clearly wasn't up above. This place seem a bit too macabre for the townspeople. Two great doors were spread out and from afar one could see a great place across the river. What surprised me was that there was actually someone else around here. What bothered me most was that Haru could undo his eyes from her as we approached her.

"How odd to see so many kids around here," she said in a playful tone.

"Yeah, kids," I admit as I push Haru by the face to keep him from ogling. "What is 'here', exactly?"

"You're not from around the next corner, I see," the woman calls as she brushes her hair back. "This is the Underworld run by Hades, himself."

"Hell, huh," I mumble under my breath while glancing around. "The name's Ayano, by the way. And this ogling pervert here is Haruka."

She chuckles at my humor, "Too young for my taste anyway. My name's Megara, my friends call me Meg."

"So, Meg, what are you doing here?" Haru asks a bit downed by what she had said earlier. "Isn't this place, well, a bit too creepy for a girl to be alone?"

"Look who's the gentleman now?" she teased making Haru blush like a tomato. I stifle back a chuckle with my fist. I think I'm starting to like the gal. "I was about to go see Hades but friends of mine have gone in my place. They thought the same exact thing as you did, little man."

"Little?" Haru exclaimed.

"But Hades is the one that looks out for the dead, right?" I ask her and get a nod from her. "What kind of fool would go willingly to that?"

"Well, that Sora boy and his friends seemed willing enough," Meg speaks under her breath.

"Sora?" Haru asked. "He's the friend you were talking about? Then you know Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"Know them too?" she inquired.

"Technically speaking," I add not wanting to give away that we were from another world. "Why go to Hades in the first place?"

"It's personal," she simply says with a smile and starts heading out. "I'd suggest you get out of here while you can as well. This place is crawling with monsters." With that last comment she left leaving us here.

I glance over my shoulder to catch Haru staring at her as she walked away. I smack him right upside the head and get yelled by him. I only return him a glare while putting my hands on my hips, "Don't stare. It's rude."

"Staring?" he mumbles shuffling around and averting his gaze. "Who's staring? I'm not staring."

"Yeah, sure," I answer back with a chuckle.

"I wasn't, geez!" he yells heading back to the coliseum.

"Master!"

"What is it?" I mumble startled at the outburst from Rinto.

"There's a strange frequency that has reached you and is reacting to us. It's beckoning us it's way."

"What is?" I ask starting to walk towards where Haru was going.

"It's the same kind resonance as the crystal ball that contained yours and the young boy's memories."

This stopped me in my tracks, "Where?"

"To your left. There." I stopped at a grand green door that stood straight across from the river. I sigh and turn to glance over at Haru's who's almost at the foot of the stairs leading up.

"Hey, sport!"

"I have a name, you know?!" he called not even stopping to look behind him.

I click my tongue and take a good intake of air before bellowing out to him, "Listen when I call you, Haruka!" He spun on his heels without a second thought. He looked stupefied that I actually called out his whole name. Seemed like a mother reprimanding her son, almost. Shit, I feel old. Even so I didn't dawdle and didn't back out, "Get your butt over here. We're heading this way."

He came down fast but his mouth didn't stop it's babbling even then. "Why are we going there?"

"I've picked up something. Seems to be another one of those bright marbles. Maybe they'll get us to your memories," I explain as I push the grand door open and find myself inside a great opening. Small white orbs floated about and touched us but seemed to do no harm at all.

We went on through different tunnels and although it was odd we didn't run into any Heartless. They must be preoccupied somewhere else. Finally we arrive at a pit with a rock standing in the middle of the place.

"What is this thing?" I mumble under my breath and brush my hand over the stone. Suddenly a keyhole appears on it making me jump back.

"Master! There!"

My head spun around and just then I saw a small marble roll over from behind the stone and away a few feet before me. I walked up to it and picked it up. It was the same thing as the other one, just white and gold.

"Here it is," I say cheerfully and toss it in the air to catch it triumphantly.

I felt something odd out of nowhere and stopped my charade. I glanced about and oddly enough the brat wasn't as happy as I was to find the crystal. He was standing at the entrance and had fallen behind. He only stood there with his gaze down and sullen while his right hand went beneath his vest, more than likely holding his necklace.

He must have noticed that I was staring at him for his eyes would go from glancing at me to the floor over and over. Finally he spoke, "You know, I'm don't think this is such a good idea anymore."

"You don't think what?" I spit back out not believing what bull he just threw at me.

"Y-Yeah," he repeats averting his gaze to the floor permanently. "I mean what use do old stupid memories have anyway."

Old, stupid memories? I can't believe-

My eyes widened when I saw his eyes shinning from that pretty emerald to a vivid ruby. Just then I understood something. The reason why the crystal ball made me remember that time. When I had been most vulnerable. The one time that I swore would never happen again. I had turned all my grief and sorrow and pain into hatred. I was so full of hate that from then on I never went out again. I started embracing my powers more and using them against others to tick them off. To prove to them that I could be the monster that they judged me to be.

But...I did the wrong thing.

I misled myself into those dark emotions and drowned myself in them. I wouldn't be surprise if that's were Hotaru came form too. So much hatred inside because I was tired of being afraid.

Of being scared of not knowing.

I come up to Haruka and take a knee before him. I stare into his eyes as they shift from one color to another.

In his case, scared of knowing.

I brush my hand past his cheek slightly to get his attention. His eyes turn up to me barely and all glazed up. He reminds me so much of myself. So fearful and oblivious. But that fear could soon turn into hatred and what happened to me could happened to him too. He could create a darkness so powerful from it that it would kill him.

Just like it's killing me now.

I won't let him follow my steps. Not him nor anyone.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore," I say not much louder than a whisper.

"I'm not afraid," he sniffles and wipes his face.

I give him a wry smile and stare into his eyes as they keep shifting colors. "You don't have to tell me anything for me to understand. I really do. Fear...with our kind is natural and normal. But if you let it control you that fear will turn to rage and hatred and they will become powerful enough to change you. You can't let your fear of knowing the truth stop you. You can't let anything stop you, kid."

"B-But," he sobs as tears finally begin to fall down his cheeks. "I'm scared. I'm really afraid. W-What if knowing doesn't make it worse. What if it's only worse!"

"Then you'll need to continue with it. Because there is always as much pain as there is happiness in us. I've learned that being happy means carrying those emotions equally on yourself and knowing that although the worst is present you can't let it bring the other down. If the balance is broken then you are as well." I give him what I've always deemed to be the truest smile I had, even if it reflected the smile of another. "I'm a clear example of that. I live on a rule that never lets me be happy unless others suffer. And in all seriousness, I don't want anybody to suffer. I'd rather them be happy. It'll keep my conscious clear in the very least. I feel the same about you." I wipe away the lone tears that threaten to fall. "You can be happy and if it's the last thing I do I'll lead you to that happiness at the cost of anything. Even myself. I want to be able to save at least one heart."

Yours...and mine.

His tears silently fall as his eyes drop to my right hand. I blink twice just when he lets go of his necklace to take my hand in his own and opens it to reveal the gold crystal. He grabs it in his own letting my hand go.

"Are you sure? I didn't mean to push you," I admit taking my hand away from his face.

He shakes his head showing the red ribbons that follow his now permanent red eyes, "I get it. I'm still a little scared but I don't want to be anymore. I want to be brave," he claimed holding the crystal ball tightly in his fist.

"I see," I say and place my hands over his. "But know that being brave isn't the absence of fear but instead winning over it. You will be brave not when you aren't afraid anymore but when you conquer that fear. And the only way to conquer it-"

"Is to face it." I smiled when he finished my thought. He dropped the marble just as his words ended. The light burst out engulfing us entirely like last time. This time, however, it didn't separate us but instead took us to the same room.

We stood among the loads of gold sand beneath us that rose up into a makeshift, white sky. I stand up from the floor and glance around to see nothing around us. No sand forming any figures like before. We let a few minutes pass on in silence.

Finally Haru couldn't keep quiet any longer, "Is nothing going to happen in this one?"

"I...don't know," I mumble but at my voice a little girl's giggling is heard from behind us.

I can't help but turn and face something I hadn't seen since my ninth birthday.

There I stood smiling as Oswald and Ortensia sang to me with a grand cake all for me. I remember the stomachache I got from that too. It must have been the happiest day of my life.

_"Happy Birthday Aya!"_

_"Thanks."_ The young me blew the candles and everything dimmed out.

I remember that being the only day when I hadn't been miserable. One day when I thought I hadn't lied and everything felt normal. But I hadn't been. When I got older I realized that I had simply copied their emotions to form my own. I had lied to them and mostly to myself.

And that night was when...

**_"Keep on_ lying."**

"That we spoke for the first time," I speak aloud as the dust memory of my birthday fades and falls to the ground.

"What?" Haru spoke up looking up to me.

"It was, wasn't it?" I grab onto my left shoulder where it resides. "Rinto. Or should I call you by your real name, you Deceiving Snake."

When Rinto answers my brusque call it echoes throughout the whole space making us able to hear her clearly.

"Yes, it was."

"Back when I fought with Hotaru I realized that she'd mimic you to make me think it had been her that said those words to me. To make me believe her lies. But when you spoke to me that time, I knew it hadn't been her. It'd been you. The one who instigated my lying my whole life." I tried to keep calm for Haru but my blood boiled in me. I was so angry at them all. "Because of you influencing me, Hotaru was born from all my lies. Because of you, my friends and I have suffered from your stupid principle. Because of you-"

I tighten my fist knowing that this was the one thing I was most frightened of. "I don't even know who I really am. I have no 'face'. I'm nobody."

"Correctly speaking, you are nothing."

"Don't fuck with me!" I yell punching out at the vacant air. "It's all your fault. You're my eyes that lie. You are these abominable things," I cry out as I dig my fingers into my eye sockets. "Even before when I tried digging them out they would just regrow, it was you."

"As I have told you before you cannot die until your wish is fulfilled. It is _his_ will and I follow those orders. It was an equivalent exchange for which your gift was given.""

"Fuck you!" I bellow out at her. "I don't even know what you're talking about! I don't know of any wish! I don't even care of your stupid gift anymore! Even if I'm misusing it or not, I don't care anymore!?"

"But you do," her words came straight and direct. No emotion and as stoic as could be. "Otherwise you wouldn't have saved the boy. There is one meaning to which I rule my powers on, Master. Life has no meaning. This believe is from which your lies arise. Lies give meaning to anything through falsehood. But you have broken me through your feelings of the boy."

"I don't get it," I groan tired of everything.

"In him you see yourself," she says simply as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "And as it is, in him is your own salvation and perhaps his own."

"Our salvation?" Haru asks getting curious. I'd sadly forgotten he was here. I'd been so engulf in my anger that I had forgotten about him. "How so?"

"Darkness and light are two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other. It is what my limitations are based on: the Coin Principle. There cannot be happiness without grief or sorrow without joy. It is just like all the opposites in the world. Master, you have lost your darkness and your light is engulfing your weak heart. Both of you are the same, stuck in light and searching for darkness. It isn't whether one is bad or good. It is of the balance required to be alive."

"You too?" I mumble my question while turning to glance at Haru. His face is baffled trying to understand what Rinto must mean. I stare at the floor before coming back to speak to Rinto. "If we are the same, how is he my salvation?"

"His light is tied to his heart and to that of another. As long as they are connected his heart cannot be engulfed in light but it can be easily devoured in darkness. You on the other hand have a strong-willed darkness and a faint light that is slowly rotting your heart away. But because your heart is so tied to your darkness and its roots it cannot be harmed by it or any other's. By light it can but not by darkness. You two compliment each other and as long as you are together your imbalance will counter and hence balance everything out."

"But we can't stay like that forever," I call out noticing the flaw in her explanation.

"That is also true. Which leads me to the one answer I have concluded that could help you both." She paused before continuing, "Find his darkness and that will surely lead you to yours."

"How?" Haru asked more confused than ever.

"Truth of the future comes from the certainty of what is to come. You know very well of what I say, Haruka. Whether you remember or not, your heart still knows the foreboding it brings you. Follow the premonitions my brethren gives you and they shall lead you both to what you seek."

"Your brethren, the snake?" I ask aloud.

"Like I told you before, Master. I knew the boy had been bitten by one of my brothers and I have finally figured out which one of them. The Snake of the Focusing Eyes which allows him to see beyond anything and everything including time itself."

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_**A little confusing? perhaps but it'll be okay. Next chapter we'll go more in depth with Haru's snake. Hope you're looking forth to that :) Sorry it's so short btw. I wanted to post something before I go back to school monday -w- hope you liked it.**_

_**Thanks again for reading and review :D**_


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